These pancakes don’t need butter or syrup although I do believe in gilding the lily.  The use of rice flour makes them thinner and a little crispier around the edges than a traditional pancake, but the yum factor is definitely a ten.

• 1.5 cups rice flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1.5 cups milk
• 3 Tbsp melted butter –unsalted or lightly salted
• 2 large eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ c. chopped pistachios
• ½ c. chocolate chips
• 1/3 c. flaked coconut

You can be a little generous with these last three ingredients!

Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix together until ingredients are combined adding the melted butter as you mix,    Fold in the nuts, chips and coconuts.

Heat a griddle on the stove top at medium heat.  Melt ½ Tbsp butter on the griddle and spread it around.  Spoon about ½ cup of batter on the griddle at a time to make  as many pancakes as you can easily maneuver on the griddle.

When the pancakes have bubbles all over the top—some popped, flip them over.   When the underside is brown remove to a warm plate or to a plate in a warm oven.  Repeat the process until you use all the batter.  Add more butter to the griddle as needed.

Serve with good  maple syrup and butter.  You can roll them up and fill them with whipping cream, too, and garnish with a little more of the pistachios, chips, and coconut.

• 1/2 lb of fresh baby spinach
• red bell pepper, perfect for roasting
• 1 leek
• 1 red onion
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 lb fresh basil
• big handful of fresh curly parsley
• head of broccoli
• 2 salmon fillets

I had extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, whole peppercorns, and a wedge of Parmesan cheese.  Over in the pantry I found some whole wheat spaghetti.   This actually began to sound pretty good– and not too unhealthy. I roasted the red pepper.   I chopped up everything except the salmon and set it aside in piles.

I heated my big cast iron skillet and added some EVOO. I put on a large pot of salted water on the stove for the pasta.  I started with the  red onion. When that got translucent, I added the leeks, next the brocolli, then the spinach. When the spinach was wilted,  I removed it all to a plate. I put the pasta in the boiling water.  I put the salmon fillets in the hot pan — 5 minutes on each side until it’s done.    I set the salmon aside. I cleaned out the pan and started over with more EVOO in the hot pan.

Finally, I added the garlic, the basil, and the green onion to the hot oil.  I chopped up the skinned, roasted red pepper and added it to the pan.  Up until now, this was still a pretty healthy dish. But– this is Mad Cook’s pasta.  Healthy is not a requirement. So, I added about 2 cups of heavy cream.    I let it cook down slowly and thicken.  When it coated a spoon, I added the other cooked vegetables, some grated Parmesan, Kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper.    I drained the pasta and tossed it into the cream and vegetables;gave it a good mix.  I arranged pieces of salmon on top and sprinkled it with more Parmesan.

That was it!  It was delicious.  I was soothed, and I had enough left over for lunch.  Normally, I’d have a picture to post, but I ate the pasta before I thought about it.

I love pizza.  I love it so much that I get really nasty when I have a bad one.  As a result, I tend to make my own.  Making a yeast dough, see …   makes a fabulous pizza, but it’s not an instant meal when you come in from work staving for something tasty.

I recently bought a packet of twelve whole wheat Lavosh wraps at Costco.  Each one is about 8x 10, nice and thin and ready to eat.  They make good wraps, but they make really good individual thin crust pizzas.

Lightly oil a baking sheet.  Place one sheet of lavosh on the sheet.  Drizzle a little EVOO on the lavosh.  Now top.  While I am picky about what I have on my pizza when I eat out, I like to experiment at home.  This time I had

• leftover canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 a red onion
• fresh basil
• fresh garlic, roasted garlic, smoked garlic
• 2 oz grilled steak
• feta cheese
• grated Parmesan cheese
• Sun of Italy Italian seasoning
• Olive Oil
• Kosher salt

Spread the tomatoes from edge to edge, more or less, depending on your taste.  Chop the basil and garlics together into a mince. Sprinkle the minced herbs over the tomato sauce.  Thinly slice the red onion and spread over the sauce. Slice the steak into bite sized pieces and distribute over the “pizza.”  Crumble about 1/4 c. feta over the pizza and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle the whole thing with the Italian seasoning and a little Kosher salt.  Finally, drizzle with EVOO.

Place in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Check.  If cheeses are not melted,  return to oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven when the crust is crispy.  It’s your pizza cut it any way you want.

What can you use on one of these Lavosh pizzas

jar pasta sauces, chicken, broccoli, Bleu cheese, oregano, Alfredo, sausage any kind, mushrooms, Gouda, Rosemary,              barbecue sauce, ham, peppers, Cheddar, thyme, salsa, pepperoni, pineapple, Stilton Cumin, tomatilla salsa, salami, roasted eggplant, brie, fennel, garlic/olive oil, ground beef, zucchini, Romano, black pepper, red papper, caesar dressing, pork barbecue, yellow squash, Monterrey Jack, chili powder, sour cream, cooked shrimp, refried beans, Colby cheese, anchovies — you get the idea.

You like certain flavors together, make them into an individual pizza.   Use your imagination with the leftovers in your fridge.   Get out a bunch of stuff and let family members or friends make their own pizzas.

If you figure out some great combinations, send them in as a comment, and I publish with or without your name. Enjoy!

It was late.  One car had a flat tire.  The other car had a warning light glaring at me. The problem — a severe need for dessert and no reliable way to get to anything.  The solution had to be in the pantry.  I went back in mind to an earlier time in my sister-in-law’s kitchen. 

One thing marriage does is bring new ideas into a family.  She brought, among other things, pudding.  She cooked up some of the best puddings I had ever had.  I’ve forgotten the name of her light and fluffy lemon concoction, but the creamy strawberry dream for Bavarian Cream.  Of course, she made a rich thick chocolate pudding.  That would be the ticket for my craving.

When I mentioned pudding to my son and his girlfriend, the reaction was quizzical.  Did I have pudding?  That made me smile — no, I didn’t mean grab a box of something.  I meant make real pudding from scratch.  So we did.  An added bonus, no flou so it was gluten free.  We only waited long enough to eat it to avoid burning the tops of our mouths.  With a dollop of whipped cream, we were in heaven.

So here’s a quick fix for late night sweet cravings–

Chocolate Pudding

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, use regular, dark, or a flavored cocoa
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups milk- not enough fresh milk on hand?  Keep a box of powdered milk on hand
• 2 tablespoons  butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and vanilla. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving.

When my son’s girlfriend comes to visit, I have a partner in crime in the kitchen.  We both enjoy cooking and eating.  The only difference is that she’s tall and thin– and I’m not!  The challenge is creating the stuff we love that she can eat.  She  needs to eat gluten-free.  It’s not a life-style choice.    Many of our successes are posted elsewhere in this blog.  A lot of what we’ve done has been blind experimentation.  We found some good conceptual recipes, too, that provide information on how these unusual ingredients work.

Christmas afforded time to really experiment.  Here’s one we adapted from the Babycakes cookbook.  With no need to be vegan, we used eggs and butter with abandon.   The recipe requires faith.  If you lick your fingers when you flip the finished cake out of the pan, you may want to throw it out– just keep going!How bad can any cake recipe be that starts with — Bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies!

Chocolate Chip Cookies (italicized ingredients are our modifications)

• 1 c. corn oil
• 6 tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp almond extract
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg
  
• 2 c. Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat over to 325F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla, sugar, and egg. In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Using rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a dough is formed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed through the dough.

Using a melon scoop or one of those small ice cream scoops, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 inch apart. Gently press each with the hell of your hand to help spread them. Back the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.

Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Now– don’t stop here.  Have a glass of milk and a couple of cookies and get ready for the cake.

The Illustrious Triple Chocolate Fat Pants Cake

• 3/4 c. Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 1 c. white rice flour
• 1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. potato starch
• 1/4 c. arrowroot
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 2 tsps. salt
• idea: 1 egg
• 1 c. corn oil (plus more for the pans)
• 1 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsps. pure vanilla extract
• 1 c. hot, instant coffee
• 2 c. chocolate chips
• chocolate frosting
• 12 chocolate chip cookies

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line the bottoms of three 9 x 3-inch round cake pans with circles of parchment paper and coat lightly with oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa powder, sugar, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Add 1 cup oil, the egg, and the applesauce, vanilla, and coffee to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake the cake on the center rake for 24 minutes, rotating the pans 180 degrees after 12 minutes. The finished cakes will be firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Let the cakes stand in the pans for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edges. Cover the top of each pan with a cutting board and flip over. Carefully lift the pan away and invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Transfer one layer to a serving plate or a cake stand. Using a frosting spatula, gently spread a thick layer of frosting over the top of the cake. Break the cookies and crumble some evenly over the frosting. Place the second layer on top. Repeat the frosting/crumbling process. Set the third layer on top of the second layer and repeat the frosting/crumbling process one last time.  Frost the sides.  Cover the cake with a dome and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  This cake is good the first day and even better the next– or as long as it lasts.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 2 sticks of butter
• 2 lbs confectioner sugar
• 1/2 c. cocoa regular or special dark
• 1/2 c strong coffee or milk

In your mixer, cream the butter until it’s light and fluffy.  Carefully add the cocoa into the butter, then begin to add the confectioner’s sugar slowly.  When the mixture gets too stiff, add some coffee or milk a tsp at a time, beating after each addition.  The goal is a big bowl of chocolate frosting of the perfect spreading consistency.  This requires repeated sampling by the baker!

The Babycakes cookbook is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0307408833/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=3048091961&ref=pd_sl_70gl60xkfq_b

I love chili.  I remember exactly how my mother made it, and it included plenty of red kidney beans.  For her, like  most of the meals she prepared, chili was a budget-stretcher.  The ground beef went that much further, and it was tasty to me.  I would later discover, not so to others.

When I made chili for my family for the first time years ago, I learned a different lesson. My dear husband enjoyed it, but he was an omnivore like me.    Our boys, on the other hand , turned out to be abeanovores—no-beans-in-the-chili-eaters.    Since beans are nutritious, I persisted to include beans in the chili.  The dog ate very nutritiously.

So, I just stayed away from chili-making.  Pent-up demand for my need to make chili forced me into a momentous decision—chili with no  beans.

With snow falling outside, thoughts of a big pot of hot, flavorful chili provided just the motivation I needed to move beyond the beans.  I had some top sirloin in the freezer and that was the basis for what became an unqualified dinner success.

• 2 lbs top sirloin, partially frozen
• 1 qt. beef stock
• 1 large can of whole tomatoes
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• T chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• I smokey chipolte pepper, chipped with seeds
• 4 strips of jalapeño pepper
• 1 bottle of beer – your choice.  Use gluten free beer if necessary
• 2 T dark cocoa
• olive oil

Garnishes-

Sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped, roasted poblanos, chopped onions, home-made tortilla chips, and beans – yes beans,  see recipe at the end of this post.

Cut the partially frozen beef into thin strips, e.g. ¼ “ x 3” – set aside

Chop the onion and celery  and mince the garlic – set aside

Heat a heavy stock pot on the stove;  drizzle olive oil on the bottom.   When the pot and oil are hot, add the beef.  Stir and cook until the beef begins to brown.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Add a little more oil to the pot, then add onions and celery  cooking until they turn translucent and just begin to caramelize. Add the garlic.

Return  the beef to the pot with the onions, celery and garlic.  Stir to combine.  Add cocoa, chili powder, and cumin plus 1-2 T of olive.  Stir. Add tomatoes by squeezing and crushing into pieces with your hands. Add the tomato liquid, stock, and beer.   This mixture will seem to have a lot of liquid, but cooking will take care of that.   Bring to a simmer without covering.  Cook until it cooks down to what you think of as a good chilli consistency, and the meat is very tender..   Serve in bowls with garnishes available for chili lovers.

Preparing the beans:  Open a can of your favorite beans- red, black, navy, etc. into a microwavable bowl.  Add a small can of chopped green chilies and one chopped red onion.  Heat in the microwave until warm.  The bean-lovers can top their chili with a scoop of beans.

Date Romance

Dates don’t seem to enjoy the popularity they once did.  My brother tells me that dates were used as a sweetener when sugar was rationed during WWII.  They require some significant attention to grow– the grower has to play cupid.  Date palms come in males and females.  To assure a good crop, the grower  has to remove the pollen vessels from the male palm and then shake them over the flowers of the female palm.  No big deal really accept that the fronds of these palms can spread 25 feet from tip to tip, and the tree grows to about 70 feet.  The sex parts are at the top.  One should, therefore, appreciate each and every date.  Some of the best dates come from Sphinx Date Ranch, a family owned and operated purveyor of all kinds of delectable dried fruits and snack in addition to the Medjool.

Other goodies

The highway between Tuscon and Phoenix occasionally offers up some special entertainment.  Pecan groves line the side of the road.  When the pecans are ready, a tractor with a peculiar device affixed to it makes its way among the trees.  A clawed arm reaches out and grabs the trunk.  The driver then unfolds something that looks like a very large, old-time collapsible flash attachment.  Segments of a shallow disc deal off to create a shallow basket around the tree about as wide as the tree itself.  The diver then gives the tree a good shake.  The pecan fall off into the basket which is then emptied into a waiting hopper.   This process makes sense if you know what’s going on, but if you don’t know that these are pecan trees that need harvesting, the whole shabang just looks a little weird.  Weird or not, the result is extremely tasty.

Other goodies include figs. I honestly don’t know where these grow in the area, but I do know that the folks at Queen Creek Olive Mill do some tasty work using figs.  Among my favorites is their caramelized red onion and fig tapenade.  It’s chunky and picquaint giving an unusual flavor to any dish.

The Appetizer

These, then, are three of the four ingredient in this delicious appetizer — Medjool dates, pecans, caramelized red onion and fig tapenade.  The fourth is good ol’ cream cheese.    Order a tin of Medjools from Sphinx (or get them from your local grocer).  Combine four ounces of cream cheese with 2-3 tablespoons of tapenade.  The mixture should maintain the consistency of the cream cheese but be richly flavored with the tapenade.

Roast the pecans slightly just enough to heighten the nutty flavor.  Be careful, they will burn quickly.

Slit open the date from stem end to tip.  Remove the pit.  Open the date slightly and fill with the tapenade mixture.  Place a half a pecan on top of the stuffed date and push in just enough to seat it in the cream cheese.

Arrange on a plate and serve.  They will keep for  a week – 10 days in the refrigerator.  If it’s been longer, give them a sniff.  They only ingredient that will turn is the cream cheese, and it will likely take longer than  10 days.  For those who like dates, they won’t last that long.

Ingredients

• 1 baby bok choy, cleaned and chopped
• 8 oz white mushrooms thickly sliced
• 8 oz fresh broccoli broken into small flowerets.  Peel and slice the stems
• 5 green onions sliced on the diagonal
• 8 oz super firm tofu cut into cubes
• 5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1-2 tbsp shredded fresh ginger
• ¼ c. oyster sauce
• ½ c. brown miso
• 1 jalopena, seeded and chopped
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• corn or peanut oil

Combine garlic and ginger.  Reserve ¾ for sauce.  Use the rest for the stir fry.

Mix sauce

In a blender or container for use with an immersion blender, combine miso, jalopena, honey, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.  Process into a paste.  Place in a saucepan over low heat. Stir and heat through. Turn off heat.

Heat a heavy skillet on high heat.  Add corn or peanut oil to generously coat the bottom. Toss in tofu and half of the unreserved garlic and ginger.  Fry until tofu browns stirring occasionally.  Remove to a plate.

Add a little more oil.  Stir fry bok choy til it turns deep green and begins to get tender.  Remove to plate.  Stir fry mushrooms til brown.  Remove to plate.  Stir fry broccoli.  Add a few tbsp water and cover to steam for a minute.  Remove to plate.

Get the pan hot again.  Add oil to cover the bottom lightly.  Toss in all cooked ingredients, the rest of the unreserved garlic and ginger, and the sliced scallions.  Mix thoroughly.  Add the oyster sauce.  Mix til sauce coats the vegetables.  Add the miso sauce.  Mix to coat thoroughly while reheating.

Serve over rice or soba noodles.