It has been a big grilling summer around these parts. We’ve been firing up the coals nearly every night and eating outside as much as possible. It is so much easier now that the kids are older and can play on the swing set while we mill around the yard! Naturally I’ve seized this opportunity to work on a few new grilling recipes, including things like vegetables and desserts.
One of our latest new favorites is this grilled romaine salad. Grilling romaine caramelizes the natural sugars in the lettuce and the resulting flavor is amazing. It is honestly so good you could just drizzle it with lemon juice and olive oil and have a great salad. But since I wanted to make it into a main course, I took a more in-depth approach and topped it with Hidden Valley® Roasted Garlic Ranch, one of Hidden Valley’s new flavors, and sprinkled freshly cooked bacon bits on top.
This summer I planted a TON of squash in our garden. I focused on that because we eat zucchini and summer squash all summer long, plus, we were getting a little tired of jalapeos. The other day I harvested three perfect squash and made it a goal to eat them at every meal. First up, breakfast.
Since our morning breakfast routine is usually pretty frazzled I like to make frittatas. They basically require nothing more than a quick saute and whisk, then they are popped in the oven and forgotten until ready. Easy peasy, and so perfect for those minutes I am running around the house making lunches and reminding kids to make their beds.
When we were in Cooperstown over the Fourth of July my mother made this great Tomato Bacon & Farro salad. It was light and flavorful and perfect for serving room temperature with our coffee-rubbed steak. I want to share it with you today because it is a great one to have in your back pocket for summer entertaining. In fact, it would even be easy to take on the go with friends to a picnic or potluck. Pulling it together is very easy and I highly recommend giving it a try at least once this summer. You won’t be disappointed!
My friend April Peveteaux of Gluten is My Bitch fame is one hard-working woman. Two years ago I featured her hilarious book chronicling her journey into a gluten-free life and today I am here to talk about her new book, The Gluten-Free Cheat Sheet. As a fellow author I am in awe of her ability to write two books back-to-back, and they are both insanely awesome and helpful. Her latest tome features delicious recipes, personal anecdotes, and all sorts of tips regarding living a wholly satisfying gluten-free life. Earlier this month I had a fun chat with April and she shared some great stories with me:
1) You’ve been gluten-free for several years now and this book clearly comes from your experience going gluten-free. Do you find you’ve mastered being gluten-free now? Or is there still more to learn?
I am the master of all gluten in the land! JK, I’m regularly a mess.
While I do feel like I’m more than fully informed about gluten, hidden gluten, what gluten is and what gluten is not, the effects of gluten on those of us with medical issues, the backlash, the tricks and tips to be safe—I’m still learning lessons every day. Mostly lessons I have to learn repeatedly like to always ask about the cheese sauce on the nachos. Some people sneak flour in there, darn it. And that is the lesson we all need to tattoo on our heads: always ask what’s in your food, how it’s prepared and what other food it comes into contact with on its way to your table. There’s no getting around that one.
2) The recipes in this book are delectable! Besides from avoiding gluten, where does your recipe inspiration come from? Living in CA must be helpful in terms of the proximity of fresh foods!
I do love my CSA (community supported agriculture) box that is filled with fresh produce year-round. It does inspire me when it arrives every week to get creative and to increase my fruit and vegetable consumption. Additionally, my inspiration comes from my family. I have favorite recipes from my childhood that I’ve recreated to be gluten-free, and favorite meals I’ve learned to make along the way that please my kids as well as myself. Some I’ve had to completely remake some, and others are naturally gluten-free (like a great big filet mignon and baked potato, yummmmmm).
3) Let’s help Kelsey build a menu. I need the best ever gluten-free picnic dinner menu for summer in the Northeast:
I hope you’ve shucked your corn! That is truly one of the greatest seasonal foods up your way—Jersey corn. That, and heirloom tomatoes help make an amazoids picnic.
To celebrate the season I would make my BBQ Chicken Salad and add some heirloom tomatoes picked up from the farm stand. The combo of fresh greens, just cooked corn, avocados and a tortilla chip crunch is one great meal in a bowl. Add a side of strawberry lemonade and you’re in business. And I hope you’ve saved room for dessert because a chocolate beet cake would be the perfect way to finish your meal.
4) Your kids sound like good eaters. What is there favorite dish in here? There least favorite? What are your favorites? I love asking this because it is how we all get the inside track.
My kids beg for Huevos Rancheros every morning. Heck, I want it too but I also need to fit into my pants. My daughter makes it easy on me by also wanting the Melon Balls of Fun all the time. It’s taking a melon baller and going to town on your watermelon and friends. So that’s fab.
I do love that BBQ chicken salad. I find myself making it almost once a week. It’s a fantastic combo and I also feel like I’m loading up on my vegetables. I also love the Kung Pao pork and Sweet and Sour Chicken. I don’t get to eat Chinese food very often due to the soy sauce, so when I make it at home I kind of can’t control myself. It’s sooooo good. And the Bourbon Joe Cake is basically the world’s greatest cake. You heard it here first.
The one recipe my husband loved and my kids still talk about how much they hate is my chicken mole with rice. How can you hate mole??? I don’t get it.
5) What’s next for the Gluten-free world? Will you come out with a cookbook or, better yet, a cooking show!! I’m not gluten-free but I would watch it in a heartbeat!
I’m working on my third book wherein I tackle the 8 major allergens and the modern parent. The working title is “Bake Sales Are My Bitch” and I hope to not only explore all of our feelings about how in the world we’re supposed to feed our allergic kids safely as they head to school, sleepovers and soccer practice, and not go completely bonkers in the process. For those that don’t have allergic kids, you know an allergic kid so this book is for any parent in the world who ever has to consider if the birthday cake has gluten/dairy/peanuts/treenuts/fish/shellfish/soy/eggs before sending it to school with their 4th grader. We’re all in this together, and we’re all annoyed at times. I’m here to help!
Thanks, April!
To enter to win a copy of The Gluten-Free Cheat Sheet:
1) Share a personal anecdote about going gluten-free or something you want to learn about living gluten-free.
2) Contest runs from July 14th – July 21st. Winner will be announced in the July 24th newsletter. Thanks!
I like to make ice cream home but I buy it too. Last summer I shared a little bit about my favorite Talenti gelato line and today I am here to share a little but about new favorite flavors are a great summer dessert.
This spring Talenti came out with several new gelato flavors: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Coffee Toffee, Hazelnut Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, Raspberry Cheesecake, Salted Peanut Caramel, and Tiramisu.
I’ve tried them all and they are were absolutely delish but the Salted Peanut Caramel really stood out. My daughter and I decided to give it a try our hand at make the ultimate brownie ice cream sundae. Here is what we did:
Place a thick slab of brownie on the bottom of a deep bowl. Pile on two large scoops of Salted Peanut Caramel gelato on top. Drizzle fresh salted caramel sauce over the gelato, top it with whipped cream, and sprinkle chopped salted peanuts on top. The salty sweet flavors are all there with each other and the result is nothing short of ice cream sundae heaven!
(Disclosure: I was sent the new Talenti flavors to try but the opinions and recipes above are wholly my own.)
I am a big fan of no-cook food in the summer months. I like things I can make without going anywhere near the hot oven. Most of the time this means throwing together cold salads, easy sandwiches, and eating lots of fresh fruits. Another one of my favorite things is topping crackers with delicious bites like bits of cheese, nuts, pestos, and other healthy food. Last month I saw these delectable honey-topped peach Triscuits onSavannah Bee Company. I loved the idea of a salty wheat cracker topped with sweet fruit and honey, and nuts for an added crunch. I couldn’t wait to make my own variation.
Summer is my favorite cooking season. The produce is abundant, local, and fresh. It is hot enough that a lot of time I don’t even have to turn on the stove, just chop up vegetables and enjoy. The only problem is that my children don’t always see eye to eye with me on this philosophy. They still want their heavier winter meals and are not all that interested in fresh summer vegetables tossed in with their standby carrot sticks. This is when I turn to Hidden Valley Ranch for a little help. One of their newest flavors, Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Avocado Dressing, is just what I need to create a meal that the whole family loves.
Today I am deviating a little from all things food and travel to give you my French pharmacy picks. For many years I’ve read that French pharmacies are the best place on Earth to buy beauty products. They carry entire lines of French-made skin care that can’t be found stateside. These jars of lotions and potions are touted to be as terrifically effective as Le Mer (which I’ve only sampled because I can’t afford a whole jar), but can be purchased at drugstore prices. Before we went to Paris I researched favorite products on Goop, Design Mom, and the The New York Times so I could build a good shopping list. Once we arrived the three of us hit Citypharma Du Four to pick up some of our own. Here are my top product picks:
Citypharma Du Four: There are pharmacies all over Paris and most of them carry these products. However, Citypharma is known for having the best prices and selection. It is also a mob scene that requires sharp elbows and a quick hand for nabbing bottles before they end up in someone else’s basket. They have a strict no photography policy so I didn’t even try to take a sneaky picture with my iPhone. There are security guards everywhere! It is right across from Café de Flore and is not to be missed. However, if you do, just look for a pharmacie with an electric green cross anywhere in the city and you should be able to find all of these products.
Sanoflore Véritable Eau Florale Bleuet Messicole Bio: This organic cornflower water is mostly intended for tired eyes but I’ve found that it works well for many applications. So far I’ve used it to refresh sunburnt skin, treat my own swollen eyelid, and soothe a small sunburn on the back of my neck. This line also has toners made from other flowers known for their natural healing properties, like rose and lavender. It is highly concentrated so one bottle should last for a few months.
Biafine: This plant-based cream started as a burn and rash treatment but people use it for all sorts of moisturizing needs. Recently I used it to treat my daughter’s skinned knee and soothe a little burn on my hand from the oven. I also used it on my dry elbows and chapped lips. It effectively treated everything and has earned a permanent spot in my first aid kit. Note: This cream is very thick and a little bit goes a long way.
I don’t post a lot of smoothie recipes in this space because mostly they confound me. What the proper ratio of vegetables to liquid? How much sugar is too much? How do I properly “superfood” my beverage without overdoing it? Lucky for me, my friend Jenna Helwig has finally written a Smoothie-licious: Power-Packed Smoothies and Juices the Whole Family Will Love, a cookbook I can identify with. The recipes are amazing and accessible! That means, smoothie novices like me don’t find them intimidating in the least. In fact, they look downright delicious. Today Jenna stopped by to talk all things Smoothies and share a copy of her book to give away!
1) I’ll admit, some smoothie recipes intimidate me. But your book makes them so accessible. How did you first start making smoothies for your family?
About three years ago I did a “detox” where I gave up caffeine, alcohol, gluten, dairy, and sugar for a week. I also tried to eat more veggies, including at breakfast. Since I have more of a sweet tooth in the morning smoothies seemed like a natural choice. I started concocting naturally sweet smoothies and my favorite was a creamy drink with avocado (it turned into the recipe Avocado Bliss in Smoothie-licious). The real eye-opener was when my daughter—an avowed avocado hater—asked for a sip and continued to drink it even after I told her what the ingredients were.
If I could shop in one city for the rest of my life it would be Paris. (Sorry, New York, but it’s true!) Like many women, I’ve always loved French style and prefer French clothes for my children when I can afford them. There is something about the timeless tailored look in classic colors like navy, white, and creams that appeals to me. When I was in Paris with my mother and daughter last month here were some of our favorite spots to shop:
Petit Bateau: This is one of my all time favorite clothing lines. I nearly cried when the Boston and New York stores closed! Their navy, yellow, and white color palate never goes out of style and works well for both boys and girls. Lucky for me, there are plenty of Petit Beteau stores in Paris. I stumbled upon one in nearly every neighborhood. I got a few great pieces for my kids and stocked up on their fuzzy onesies for baby gifts.
The French Pharmacies: I am going to write a separate post about this because I researched French pharmacies before our trip and was quickly sucked into the cult of French beauty products when I arrived. I’ll never bother with an expensive make-up counter again. French pharmacy beauty products are where it’s at!! I followed the Goop guide and a few others and found some real gems. (Note: Pharmacies are all over Paris. The famous Citypharma branch was my favorite.)
Bonton: If there is one DO NOT MISS store for kids, this is it. We didn’t even go to the giant one in the Marais but I won’t miss it next time! I shopped at the one on rue de Grenelle and it was so fabulous we stayed for nearly an hour. The style is a mix of French classic and Euro pop. It reminded me of the Benetton stores of my youth. In addition to clothes there were all kinds of fun books, games, jewelry, accessories, and more. My daughter and I were in heaven.
It is rhubarb season and I am hear with a great rhubarb syrup recipe for you. It is more like a condiment in the sense that you can use it for all sorts of things. The blushing pink syrup is ideal for stirring into seltzer to make spritzers, adding to prosecco, drizzling over yogurts and ice creams, and much, much more. The recipe is incredibly simple to make during naptime, or just about anytime, and will make your whole kitchen smell like the sweetest fruit farm you’ve ever visited. Pick up some rhubarb at the market today and get cracking. You’ll have a whole summer of deliciousness to look forward to.
Place all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a low simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Set a bowl in the sink and set a strainer lined with cheesecloth over it. Carefully pour the rhubarb syrup over the strainer. Let the rhubarb drip for about 30 minutes so all the syrup has been filtered and captured in the bowl.
Once the syrup is cooled enough to handle pour it into a glass jar for storage. Store in the refrigerator for a few months.
Note: Use the leftover sweetened stewed rhubarb for a spread on toast or dolloped on pork or fish.
Notes
I like to keep this syrup pure but it can also be flavored slightly. Try adding lemon or orange zest for a citrusy flair. Or, a vanilla bean or shot of vanilla rum for a deeper flavor. Grated ginger would add nice heat.
