A WARM ADDITION

TWH NOTE: This is a recipe I originally posted in a Facebook group, Cooking Is Easy. I enjoy Yorkshire pudding but I have special dietary needs so I found an online recipe at Cookstr and created an altered recipe. I baked this gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian Yorkshire pudding for Christmas.It is a tasty dish but you have to be wary of the possible poisons.

Ingredients

50g/2oz rice flour

50g/2oz tapioca flour

pinch of salt

2 eggs, preferably free-range (free-range eggs have more Vitamin D)

300ml/½ pint milk (substitute almond milk or coconut milk for non-dairy diets)

10g/½oz butter or fake butter, melted

canola oil for greasing tins

You will also need a deep bun tin. I use one that is star-shaped.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8.

2. Sift the rice flour and tapioca flour into a large bowl. Add the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and drop the eggs in the center. Use a small whisk or wooden spoon to continuously stir the mixture. Add half the milk in a steady stream to the mixture while you are stirring. Whisk in the remainder of the milk and the cool melted butter. Allow to stand for one hour.

3. Grease a hot deep bun tin with canola oil and fill up to half to two thirds with the batter. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from the tins and serve warm.

Now the fun stuff begins. I used almond milk or coconut milk because it has nearly the same texture and body as regular milk. I was careful to use milk made from sweet almonds because bitter almonds have prussic acid that can be refined into cyanide.

The next potential toxin is tapioca flour. Tapioca comes from the cassava (or manioc) plant. The plant contains prussic acid (thus cyanide) unless the toxin is pounded and cooked out of the plant. A paralytic neurological disease called konzo or mantakassa can result from eating raw cassava for many weeks. Fortunately, the tapioca purchased at the store has been highly processed to remove this threat.

How did the pudding turn out? I couldn't get a good rise out of the mixture probably because the mixture lacked gluten to give the pudding structure. It rose a bit and then collapsed. The taste was sweet from the almonds and my family devoured the lot. Everyone survived and had rave reviews for the dish. I will definitely make this again.

Technorati Tags: comfort food, writing advice

COMFORT FOOD

I am doing an update on this post, originally posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008,to include information for our feline friends as well as further information that I have learned about potatoes. The original post begins,  "I recently joined a cooking group on Facebook where I can practice my literary craft and write about food. Here is one of my posts." This is another comfort food and, yes, if you aren't careful with aspects of the recipe you can be doing some serious daisy pushing or at least have some icky nausea. With those legalities out of the way, it is time to make Egg Mess.

Ingredients:

*One small onion diced This is actually good for your health because onions have wound-healing properties and are antiseptic. So if you slip with the knife when dicing this plant, there's a built-in cure.

However, onions and other members of the Allium family like garlic are toxic for your feline friends because these foods contain a chemical called N-propyl disulphide that can cause destruction of red blood cells in cats (and dogs) and resulting, life-threatening anemia.

*Margarine or Butter Don't eat too much of either because both can lead to those so difficult pounds to shed. 

Cats should not have margarine because of unknown ingredients and butter can cause gas and diarrhea.

*Potatoes diced (I prefer red potatoes) Here is the potentially toxic part. Potatoes are a member of the nightshade family that has the temptress belladonna as cousin. Potatoes that have gone green or that are sprouting in your pantry have the poisons solanine and chaconine and can give you dreadful cramps.   

Cats should not have potato eyes or green parts because of the toxins.

*Pepper and Salt to Taste

No black pepper or salt for cats because black pepper is poisonous for cats and salt can cause an electrolyte imbalance. 

*Eggs I usually use six to eight eggs because I am feeding four people (six if you count two growing children). Washing your hands after cracking eggs is important because salmonella is a risk from uncooked eggs. Salmonella causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and food borne illness. More toxins! Yea!

Raw eggs are bad for cats because the whites contain the chemical avidin that can bind to biotin and cause a biotin deficiency. The symptoms are thickening of the outer layer of skin, hair loss, increased salivation, diarrhea and dry secretions around the nose, eyes, and mouth.Cooking the egg thoroughly removes the avidin and makes the cooled egg safe for your kitty.

Where was I? Oh, instructions. They are very facile.
Wash the onion and potatoes. Cut both into small chunks. Put the butter in a frying pan (not the non-stick kind). Add the onion and fry until clear. Add the potatoes and fry until brown. Add the eggs, sprinkle on pepper and salt to taste, and stir until the eggs are scrambled. Remove from heat and enjoy.

Technorati Tags: comfort food, writing advice

EASY-PEASY SOUP

UPDATE_2/07/2018 This post was initially a reference to the television series, New Tricks, but the original cast has departed since the publication date of August 25, 2008. Furthermore, the actor Dennis Waterman is no longer someone I admire. However, I am keeping the title Easy-Peasy Soup.

Easy-Peasy Soup

Two cups of lentil soup mix

I favour a gluten free generic mix of split yellow peas, split green peas, French lentils, red lentils, and long grain brown rice.

Three cups of water

32 ounces pre-packaged vegetable broth, or homemade vegetable stock

The broth that I use is Pacific or Imagine brand but any will do. The Pacific brand has thyme, bay, onion, carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, leeks,sea salt, and parsley. It is more robust than the Imagine brand. With a pre-packaged broth you do not have to worry about storing celery that may release poisonous, phototoxic furocoumarins from the spoiled plant.

A pinch of rosemary if you would like it sweet.

Two carrots; peeled, washed, and chopped

Just the root, not the leaves because the greens can give you contact dermatitis if your skin is exposed to sunlight. 

One medium onion, washed and chopped

A can of diced tomatoes, if you wish

Pepper and salt to taste
***********************************************DIRECTIONS:

Rinse the lentil mix in a sieve. Drain. Put the lentil mix in a large saucepan or soup pot.
Pour in the water and broth into the soup pot. Dump in the carrots and onion, tomatoes optional. Sprinkle the soup with rosemary, if you wish. Bring the liquid to a boil. Turn down the heat. Simmer the soup for an hour to an hour and a half. This makes a better crock pot recipe, basically a six hour commitment on high and eight on low.

This is nice to serve with small red potatoes and bread. It is a good soup that will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Serves 3

NOTE: This is my 100th post on The Writer's Home.

UPDATE: FOOD STUFF

The regular cook was sick so my sous chef (represented here) graciously pitched in to cook for someone (me) who was sick onto death. Well, at least in no shape to cook. Unfortunately, we have different ideas on what constitute condiments for the food. Seasoning salt, in my opinion, is not a fit taste to use liberally in food preparation. We since have had IM conversations about the (in my opinion) proper way to cook Egg Mess.

All this makes me wonder about ghostwriters and their clients. Yes, there is a writing angle! Are the clients satisfied or do they complain about the seasoning? Is it the client's true story or the hired writer's tale? I wonder this as I am thankful for my sous chef pitching in at the last minute when I was not cogent enough to deliver one of my favourite dishes. It is something to ponder on those windy Canadian days when I'm imbibing a hot cup of Oolong tea and perusing my recipe books. Hmmm... Hobbit Shire Soup doesn't look that bad.

Technorati Tags: comfort food, writing advice

UPDATE: FOOD RHAPSODY

The Vegetable Stirfry with Tofu Croquettes was delicious. My sous chef says that I put in too much corn and carrots but what does he know? I'm a better cook than him.

Tomorrow: Egg Mess and Toast! Yum.... My food critics adore this hardy staple of very few ingredients and non-meat protein. For the vegans out there who think of eggs as meat, pffft. You aren't getting enough B12 for your brains so you can't appreciate the value of eggs.

All this cooking has me jazzed. I'm currently revising a children's picture book about Canadian animal life. I figure if deer can eat eggs (and sometimes birds), then nothing should prevent me from eating chicken eggs. Will post how the cooking (and writing) progresses.

Technorati Tags: comfort food, writing advice

MORE FOOD RHAPSODY

I have been taking a hiatus from the blog to work on culinary skills. I find that if I can't work with writer's block, then a little innovation in other areas helps.

Canadian Thanksgiving was superb. I made vegan gluten free dressing with brown rice bread with almond and cashew nut butter gravy. My sous chef made homemade chips. There was a bowl of canned cranberry jelly, and pears for the sides.

Tonight I made Bean without Bacon soup, a vegan spin on a classic fall comfort food. Served again with more cranberry jelly, and potatoes, it was a comforting rustic meal.


Tomorrow, I make my standby Vegie Stirfry with Tofu Croquettes.

All this has inspired me to send out an article on Plains Native American tribes to a history magazine geared toward middle school grades. Will let my readers know if my conquests as a culinarian translate to the published page.

Technorati Tags: comfort food, writing advice

SUCCESS!

As chronicled in YUM!, I have been trying to perfect the art of drying tomatoes in the oven. Well, they were delicious! Roma tomatoes with parsley, rosemary, and thyme with a bay leaf (for scent) under the metal cooling rack that I used for the dryer. I have been inspired. I had the dreaded writers' block. My brain was lint fuzz. I already finished writing a 105,010 word manuscript and my mind went blank. I spent most of a day tending the tomatoes and had my reward. Sweet, although I prefer black tomatoes. When I first had this type of tomato, my first thought was "pasta sauce". A subtle flavour, smooth without the harsh citric taste.

Um, okay, where was I? This is supposed to be on a blog about writing. I'm working on the sequel to my missive and I've broken through my writer's block. Hmm... something about my affinity for the nightshade family may have helped. I have also been indulging in my favourite nosh, chips and mayo. Good food always helps. I can think straight if I have a bowl of hot freshly dished popcorn. Be that as it may, I'm plonking through novel #2 and am happy, almost, to have the confidence to send out the first manuscript to a publisher again. Until then, bon appetit!
UPDATE: This has turned out to be, with revisions, a 140,950 word manuscript.
Technorati Tags: comfort food, writing advice

YUM!

Like many people, I have comfort foods for when times are difficult. When I've received a rejection letter or have had to visit with pesky relatives who make me feel like I'm a burying beetle in a clatch of mice. My last two weeks of summer vacation. We won't go there for the tale would be too long in woe. And I want to get to the truly good part. Comfort food.


For some, comfort food means a chocolate bar or a sub sandwich, or a simmering macaroni and cheese casserole.

Naw.

I crave homemade British style chips with mayonnaise. I made some, recently (Friday last) with red potatoes simmered in canola oil. I did not have my favourite brand of olive oil so had to content with what was available. Oh, and how content it was for my palate.

British style chips with mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs with mustard, and green and red tomato slices fried in the red potato oil. My taste buds were happy. The simple meal was a great success.

Not so proud were my attempts yesterday to make oven dried tomatoes. I rushed the drying by turning up the oven heat too high. However, those that survived being crisped, were sweet to the taste on a homemade pizza with red porcini mushroom sauce, fake soy cheese (can't have dairy),and olives. The meal ended up to be edible and that is all I could have hoped for with my experiment.

I was a little bit disappointed in my culinary prowess but ,as a writer, you learn to take the lumps. Even if the bumps are the charred remains of once plump tomatoes.


Ever the optimist, I later consumed pretzels and nuts for a snack. Okay, and the four vanilla cookies and some decaf white tea. I won't keep track if you don't. And I'm thinking of topping it all with some hot almond milk before I go to bed.


'til then,

Anne

Technorati Tags: comfort food