Look Ma! I made bread!

Welcome to installment 2 of Cocoa's slide show instructions :0)

Step 1. Put the ingredients in the bread machine pan.

Step 2. Put pan in machine - don't push down too hard or it will get permanently stuck and you will have to pry it out with tools - which is not the manufacturer's intent.

Step 3. Choose option 9, if you have my machine. It lives under the cupboard so I had to use a mirror to get some light on it for the picture.  

Step 4. Close the lid. Don't forget to press "Start"...yes, I went to check on it an hour later and was stupefied.

Step 5. Store in airtight container.

When I make this bread I remember how much I miss Macaroni's Grill bread, then I remember it's not the bread I missed from Macaroni's - it's the dipping and go drizzle some evoo and balsamic in a plate with a dash of S&P and I'm happy again.

  What do you miss?

"I fake it homemade and I'm proud" roast ala Chez Cocoa

$12.49/ pound. That is how much my roast cost. Then I put 

in in a pan and served it, see?

Ok, so maybe I cut it out of the wrapper first and let all the bloody juice puddle around it.

Kind of hard to imagine it's fully cooked and this is what the deli slices up for you, eh?

Slicing it up makes it "cook" faster.

Tenting it with foil helps the "gravy"

Good alone or smothered in BBQ sauce.  
Also featured instructions on how to procure said roast here: http://cocoasglutenfreeplace.blogspot.com/2012/04/look-i-made-roastand-fab-gf-find.html
Have a nice weekend!

Alternate uses for an apple slicer

I've never actually owned a toaster...and it wasn't really until recently that I decided to make toast for myself (as an adult). But, I've found it's actually much easier in a non-stick skillet than it ever was in a toaster. Curious?

 It's easy - heat the pan on High until it's hot (30 secs or less), turn down heat to medium and put in your bread. Put the apple slicer (or other weight like a plate or large round jar) on top and when it stops steaming, flip and do the other side.  Why a weight you ask? Well, you can toast without it but the light weight makes it toast evenly rather tan just getting the parts that naturally touch the pan (like the middle).

Perfect toast! No pushing it down twice and ending up with burned fritters.

Also, have you ever noticed GF bread smells way worse than wheat bread when it burns? :(

This salad brought to you by...

 Lunch...I struggle with lunches at work because I can't bring anything that may need refrigeration or re-heated because the fridge is always over flowing and the kitchen is an absolute disaster by 10AM. I swear, people live here...there are honest to God bags of groceries in the fridges and every morning there is a group of people whipping up breakfast in the kitchen. Everything from toast and pancakes to scrambled eggs. So by about 10 AM the counter is covered in toast crumbs, the fridge has been totally rearranged and the microwave has had several explosions in it...

If you know me at all, you know I'm not going anywhere near that!

So this is one of my go-to lunch ideas. A simple container filled with chopped veggies, fruit, cheese and of course, a Shot Glass...with dressing in it!

The dressing is sometimes from a bottle but most often a drizzle of evoo and a glug of balsamic - which doesn't require chilling at all. The shot glass is tall enough to not spill as long as I don't toss my container around too much and fits nicely in the dishwasher in those little spaces you never quite know how to fit something in to. 

 Plus, you know, it's fun to have a shot of Jameson in my lunch to ease into the afternoon   ;0)

What do you have for lunch? I'm always looking to mix it up!

What do you think of Rice Cereal?

 I keep a box of Cream of Rice cereal in the cupboard but I hardly ever cook it...I have mixed feelings that stem from the fact that if you try to make it in the microwave it will boil over, no matter how careful you are, plus...cooking! I don't dig cooking in the morning.

Weekends are different though. I can cook breakfast like a mad woman - mostly because breakfast on Saturday is always after 11:00 AM.

 I went nutty today and made 4 servings, in an attempt to have prepared breakfast for the next couple days. Since it's a nightmare in the micro I made it on the stove in the biggest pan I had, just in case it was prone to boiling over. It wasn't...because the directions are different...which I found out afterwards when I decided to read the instructions! Ha ha. Boil the water then add the rice...but it works if you do it all at once. Evidence:

Big pan, little blob of cereal, but 4 days of breakfast - so Yay!

It is surprisingly filling and I found that it really doesn't require as much syrup as say...grits or oatmeal, to taste sweet enough. Probably because rice itself is fairly sweet.

So, I'm on the fence about it. I kind of prefer my instant packet of grits for simplicity but there is just something nice about a soft bowl of warm goo in the morning.

What do you think?

Favorites!

Today I made collard green wraps and I thought, "I love collard greens!"

I can't help it- they make me happy. With tuna salad or hummus rolled up, I think it might be the perfect food.  So I started thinking about the things that I always keep in stock...my favorites...my staples.  Everybody has staples. Before Celiac (bc) mine were ramen noodles, frozen vegetables and precooked chicken breasts. Now they look a little like this:

 Chocolate chip cookie dough Larabars - I have one for breakfast almost every day. When King Soopers runs them for $1 each, I clear the shelf.

Apparently, I have a thing for gf cookie dough...this is dairy free too and seriously heavenly.

 Parmesan pancakes - simple and go with everything. You can break them up for "croutons" in a salad or eat them like chips or toss them in with popcorn. 

Raisins...well, they go in lots of stuff and keep forever! I've taken to putting them in my tuna salad (goes good in those collard wraps!) and I find them to be a great snack with a handful of walnuts and chocolate chips - sort of trail mixy.

 A banana a day makes me happy - frozen and pulverized to creaminess is divine!

 Spinach may be one of the most perfect foods. I try to eat a pound a day ala Hot Chicks.

 I keep these in my drawer at work - so much better than a coke for that afternoon pick-me-up. Simple carbs = simple energy, no sugar/caffeine jitters then dragging. 

Expensive? Yes. Delicious? YES! Better than peanut? I think so...

What are your staples and must-haves at your house?

Skinny Muffins & Fat Muffins

So... I'm on Pinterest. Heard of it? http://pinterest.com/dizzycocoa/ So many great things on there to try...

So I saw this picture for 1 minute skinny gf muffins that sounded simple and fun and I tried it (recipe here: http://heathereatsalmondbutter.com/2012/03/01/one-minute-flourless-muffin/). Mine ended up looking like this:

and did not taste good, but I can't say it tasted bad either. It didn't stick to the cup (as promised). It was definitely full of fiber though - I wouldn't recommend eating before something like a long car trip...

You can find the original recipe and various options here: http://www.thebellyfatcure.com/funnel_events/21708-jorges-skinny-muffin?pt=wKb9CpcscsF0YRVnFBnL&art=http://www.kajabi.com/admin/funnels/10159/

So, I think I'll stick to my 20 minute fat muffins:

 I use Pamela's baking and pancake mix and they are always delicious and never make me double over with stomach cramps.

Look! I made a roast...and a fab gf find!

Mmmmm...looks good right? I made it all by myself with a little help from Boar's Head and King Soopers.

 Now, you do have to put on your big girl panties and be brave if you're going to do it... but here's how you fake a homemade roast for your next dinner party:

Step 1: 

Go to the deli counter where they carry Boar's Head meats. Pick out the roast you want in the window based on how many people you're feeding and what seasonings you want. Go here to pre-shop, if you're so inclined: http://www.boarshead.com/digicatessen.php

Step 2: 

Tell the deli person that you'd like the whole roast "un-cut, un-opened". They will weigh it, as usual, and put the label on it with price etc. I chose the All Natural, Cap Off Roast Beef because it comes in a smaller chunk (around 3 pounds) and it's organic, cruelty free etc. I'm sure any other type of roast would be good too and they come in various seasonings.  The best thing is that Boar's Head brand are all gf so you don't have to grill the deli person on ingredients.

Anyway, I have done this a couple times and find that a man give you a tentative stare, smile, slap the sticker on it and wish you a nice day. A woman will ask you what you're planning to do with it. Be prepared to say "Eat it." and smile.

*Bonus* Getting it unopened will also protect you from any cross-contamination issues that run rampant in a deli.

Step 3:

Take it home, cut it into thick slices or chunks (like you'd do any roast), tent with foil and put it in the oven to heat. 400 degrees for 30 mins or so will do it. You could put it in the microwave but then you'll miss out on the drama of taking it out of the oven and the authentic roasting smell. :)

Step 4:

Once your guests are assembled around the table, take it out of the oven with great panache and serve with flair. 

While you're at the store also pick up a package of pre-washed veggies like greens (organic), grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, baby carrots and toss together for a beautiful salad. I'd also recommend instant mashed potatoes with some sour cream stirred in and whatever other favorite sides you like.

So that's my secret to feeding a ton of people in 30 minutes or less without looking like you catered it.

In other news, I discovered a fab find. Gimball's candies! They are allergen free according to the website: http://www.gimbalscandy.com/allergen-free.html and so yummy!

Crock Pot Meat Balls

Once in a while I cook...a lot of food...all at once...and freeze it. This happened with beef soup and meatballs in the Crock Pot.

My store had a BOGO deal on Laura's ground beef so I took full advantage of it and so thankful for my giant crock pot so I could cook all 4 pounds at once, and probably could have fit another 4 in it too! So I chopped up about 2 large onions and a couple cloves of garlic...

 Got out my 4 pounds of meat...

Put on my gloves 

and my fancy cooking shoes (they get me up high enough to make mixing in the c.p. easier)...

 Put it in the crock and mixed it all up with some salt & pepper.  I was going for fairly plain here since I expect to use the leftovers as burgers, meat sauce, meat loaves etc.

Then I divided it in half again and again until I had 8 half pound balls - effectively 2 servings each...

Then I dumped in 3 cans of Contadina tomato sauce so the cooker would be full enough to work...

And after they were all done I put them in baggies in the freezer. I use baggies instead of my containers because of tomato sauce stains, and I'm going to reheat in glass anyway.

Nestled in with the containers of beef soup * I made the day before. That's like a month of dinners, right there! Woo Hoo!

So, do you do a big cooking day to stock the freezer? Any favorite recipes?

By the way, if you're curious, each 8 ounce meat ball is 8 WW points, including the sauce.

 *Beef soup recipe: 2 pound roast, small baggie of baby carrots, 2 onions quartered, 1 tsp each rosemary, thyme, salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, couple dashes of red pepper flakes and water to fill the Crock Pot. It was too simple to blog alone
:)

When I'm in, I'm all in...

My curiosity continues around Weight Watchers. I Googled it to see if anyone gluten free does it and there are only about 12 results. So, I wondered...how would the points compare?

So of course, I went through my kitchen and wrote the points on everything, which lucky enough wasn't much!

 

compared to their plain (wheat) mac & cheese - same 9 pts

 

  compared to a Tombstone pizza @8 points for same serving size...now I wonder how other gf items compare to non-gf - but that's a blog for another day.

Also, curious about regular foods I eat regularly, I did a quick chart...

The chocolate chip Larabar was less than the Cashew Cookie - interesting! And finally, I had to figure out exactly what size 1 ounce of cheese really is and much like onions, got a little crazy with the dicing...

 I basically cut 8 oz chunks into 8 and this is what it looked like.

 Also, they say 1 oz is about the size of your thumb - but I'm not so sure!

 
 
 So, have you ever done Weight Watchers gluten freely? If so, I'd love to hear about your experience! Let me know :)