Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Homemade gluten-free bread & Lovely Candy Company candies

This week I did something I haven't done in many years; I made gluten-free bread from scratch. One of my coworker friends gave me a fabulous Lodge dutch oven (with a cute snail handle!) and I just had to use it right away. There's been a lot of conversation at work about making bread at home (bagels in one case) and it got me thinking that I should try it again. My previous attempts at breadmaking were not great, tasty, but not what I wanted. Sadly, this attempt wasn't much better.

After much searching on Pinterest, and skimming recipes, I settled on one: No Knead Dutch Oven bread from the baker upstairs. The recipe calls for all-purpose flour so I swapped it out with an gluten-free all purpose flour (1 of my favorite's is from Amy the Family Chef). The recipe calls to let the dough rise for 12-18 hours and I may have overdone it by a few hours.
dough
I followed all directions and this is what I got: a hard, crusty, soft-inside ball of bread. It does taste good though it is very dense. The top came out quite dry and I am not sure how to fix that. The bottom was a bit thick also. Next time I will use a different all purpose blend and maybe put some olive oil on top. If anyone has suggestions, please leave them!



This week I received an order from the Lovely Candy Company, which makes gluten-free licorice and other candies. I forgot to get licorice because I was excited about fruit chews and Raspberry Fudgey Rolls. The rolls remind me of Tootsie Rolls but with filling; oh so good and chewy. The fruit chews are very sweet but good! The berry ones have little chunks of dehydrated fruit, which I love.  I can't wait to try the licorice. Here is their candy list. Check 'em out! 

Yesterday I was sick, and today was my day off, so I have been catching up on the on-line stuff, as well as marathoning Transparent on Amazon Instant Video. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's about the family patriarch who makes a huge life change, family secrets come out, and everything goes to hell in a handbasket. Jeffrey Tambor is amazing as Mort/Maura. The cast is fabulous and it certainly represents some reality.  There are currently 2 seasons, though a 3rd season will be out this year. Watch it here on Amazon Prime! Now I can go back to making my way through Fringe, which is also good, but an entirely different type of show.

Until next time...love, love, love.  


Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Gluten-free tortillas

Last night I made some pre-packed Indian food, that I get from work, and had a hankering for naan. I searched Pinterest (my Pinterest profile here) and found some great recipes, but most call for ingredients I didn't have on hand (apparently I need yeast at all times LOL) . Then I realized that the Otto's Cassava Flour bag HAS a recipe for gluten-free/paleo/AIP tortillas on the back, so I tried that out. (Otto's Naturals)

This is the 2nd time I have used the cassava flour. I scored a free bag at the GF/AF Expo in Worcester last year and haven't used it often, obviously. I followed the directions, wound up adding a bit more water as mine was too dry, and made 4 tortillas. I realized that I desperately need a rolling pin, as I rolled the balls of dough in between 2 sheets of parchment paper and used the olive oil spray can as a roller, which did work, kind of. (I have a separate tab open now browsing Amazon for one. Any recommendations?) The first one was fabulous and was eaten right away. The 2nd one burned a bit but it was still edible and tasty. The 3rd & 4th were a bit thicker so they took longer and were a bit more gooey. They were really good with the Bombay potatoes and rice (yes, I know, lots of starch). These tortillas are great even on their own! I will definitely be refining this in the future.
rolled out
1st one!
dinner

 I also printed out some naan recipes from Pinterest and will experiment with those. I'll let you know what I find.

Also, some great news: my awesome place of employment, the Orleans Whole Food Store, featured my blog on their Facebook page! This is an honor and I am very grateful. Thank you Don, Janis, Heidi and Cori (and all my coworkers for your support). :)  Check out the FB page and come by the shop some time! It's open Monday-Saturday 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m., and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays. There is a fantastic group of folks who work there, including me :P.
Until next time...love, love, love.

edit: For late lunch today I had a quesadilla, with Daiya cheddar style cheeze slices. YUMMY!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

I love pizza.

Pizza is one of my favorite dishes. Back when I first started eating gluten free (in college), I had pretty much given up on gluten-free pizza though. Thankfully the market is a LOT better than it was over 8 years ago and there are some great options. My old stand-by though is Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza crust mix product info here. 

I picked up a bag of this for last night. Having shoveled snow yesterday morning before work, I was in pain all day and didn't want to fuss with dinner. I wandered around the grocery store, eyed the gluten-free/dairy-free pizzas and lamented inside about the horrific cost ($9 for freaking pizza?!). It is almost always cheaper to make my own pizza and I typically love it.

So tonight I made the pizza crust, separated it into 2 balls as indicated, let one rise and the other went into the freezer for later. Spread it out on the pizza pan, baked it, then added toppings (Daiya mozzarella style shreds and pepperoni) and baked it some more. It came out PERFECTLY!The Daiya shreds (product info )melt just right and it tasted oh so good. I am surprised I was able to contain myself to just 4 pieces! I hope the leftovers are good tomorrow.
What are your favorite gluten-free and/or dairy-free pizza choices? I'd love to know!
Until next Wednesday...love, love, love

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Supernatural Chronicles Mardi Gras Tour

Mardi Gras Parade header

We are so excited to bring you the Mardi Gras Blog Parade for The Supernatural Chronicles! The Supernatural Chronicles is a fantastic box set with stories from ten different authors each celebrating a distinct supernatural creature! This is the Supernatural Chronicles: The New Orleans Collection. The Tour goes from February 1st-February 10th with different authors and content each day of the tour! Make sure you check out each stop along the way and enter to win the 1 of 10 Mystery Boxes!! See why everyone is talking about #DYNAMIS, and stop by The Supernatural Chronicles Facebook Discussion Group!

The Supernatural Chronicles cover

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** Kobo ** iBooks

 

Ten authors and one grand scheme of mayhem and magic

in the depths of New Orleans.

  About The Supernatural Chronicles: The New Orleans Collection: Beneath the brow of Bourbon and French architecture, the iris of New Orleans swirls with flecks of worlds and beings unknown to mankind. Come with us as we chronicle their journey—each supernatural race must hunt for an offering in hopes of saving their own. Skinwalkers, Wolves, Vampires, Dragons, Succubi, Witches, Necromancers, Cupids, and Asgardians are all in danger of losing control as an uprising darkness threatens to rip the veil that protects them all from the great beyond. Ten original novellas, following each supernatural race as they fight an elusive enemy, are written by New Adult authors Lila Felix, Kristie Cook, Brenda Pandos, Delphina Henley, Julia Crane, Jamie Magee, Morgan Wylie, Kallie Ross, S.T. Bende, and Rebecca Ethington. Come join them for the hunt and discover hidden treasures inside.  

Don’t miss each of the individual Supernatural Chronicles!

 
Supernatural Set Cover


​Supernatural Chronicles: THE NECROMANCERS Synopsis:

#AreYouReadyToHunt?

Hailey Devareaux, inexperienced yet “all-knowing” 19 year old Necromancer, couldn’t care less what the world had to offer her. Five years after her mother encountered a powerful seer—albeit a dead one—they uprooted their entire clan and moved to New Orleans for a rare supernatural conjunction. Dangerous didn’t begin to describe the reality of Necromancers living in a city so rich with history involving the celebration of the dead, but Hailey didn’t have to worry. Her abilities hadn’t matured.

What good was Necromancy when she couldn’t save her mother? Hailey hadn’t been strong enough to bring her back—not even to say goodbye.

While Hailey moped around during her family’s celebration of the Day of the Dead, she met Bobby; if only she had realized he was dead before she started talking to him. Robert “Bobby” Duval died one year ago. When he died, the veil between this world and the next was at it’s thinnest. It should’ve been easy for him to cross over, but something kept him from doing so. On the day he met Hailey, he prepared to finally move on, but a moratorium was placed on departing souls—the veil, too volatile to pass into the great beyond. His chance at his afterlife once more denied.

Based on a cryptic letter her clan received, Hailey is elected by the Necromancers to embark on the dangerous quest to restore the veil. Bobby joins Hailey and helps her understand her powers.

Will Hailey give up her bitterness against the craft and her own fear of death, and forgive herself in order to embrace her purpose—to be the next leader of their clan? Will she embrace her power as well as help save the supernatural community by sealing the veil once more and will she help Bobby cross over to finally be at peace? 

INTERVIEW:

Supernatural Chronicles: The Necromancers (Part 7 of 10)
Interview with Morgan Wylie and Hailey Devareaux, a young Necromancer

Me: Hailey, thank you for joining us today! I look forward to introducing you to the readers.
Hailey: Thanks, I guess. I’m not really sure why you would want to talk with me, I mean you did create me so don’t you already know all these answers anyway?
Me: Hmm. Yes, I suppose you’re right, but this way they get to know you a little better and you always surprise me. So this will be fun!
Hailey: Ok, if you say so. Fire away!
Me: First up… Can you explain what a Necromancer is and what you do?
Hailey: We can raise the dead, well, we aren’t supposed to though. That’s got bad juju involved.
Me: Good to know. Why don’t you tell them what you can do then.
Hailey: I can see ghosts and I usually end up talking to them before I even know what I’m doing and then I’m the crazy person caught talking to myself in public. It’s humiliating. I can also raise spirits, although I’m still working on getting that one right. It takes practice.
Me: Why is so challenging to tell if they are alive or ghosts? Is there a sign or something you could look for before you started talking, you know so you don’t feel humiliated?
Hailey: They look like normal people… I mean alive people. If I paid attention better I’m sure I’d take note of the confused and spacey look a lot of them have, but to be honest a lot of alive people do that too, so there’s that.
Me: Okay, moving on… For quite some time, you’ve avoided your lessons with your aunt and leader and neglected your responsibilities as a Necromancer. Would you care to share why?
Hailey: I just wanted to be “normal” and to be honest, I was running away without actually running away. I was scared and freaking angry… Mama died and she shouldn’t have. That’s all I’m willing to say on it right now. I’m trying to move forward now. I know what I should be doing. It’s just going to take some time.
Me: Fair enough. I am sorry about your Mama.
Hailey: You should be. You wrote the story…*sigh*… but I digress.
Me: Yes. I am sorry. So…*clears throat* In the story you are on a journey, looking for something. Is there anything you can share?
Hailey: I go on a journey. I’m looking for something. I get some help along the way from some special characters but, Readers, you are just going to have to read it. I can’t say anything else without giving away the good bits! And there are some definite surprises and discoveries along the journey.
Me: Thank you Hailey. And yes, Readers, there are surprises throughout the entire collection, especially a BIG one for YOU at the end. But you’ll have to read it to find it! Thank you for joining us today!



​About Morgan Wylie:

Morgan Wylie published her first novel, Silent Orchids, one year after moving across the country with her family on a journey of new discovery. After an amazing three years in Nashville, TN and the release of two more books, Morgan and her family found their way back to the Northwest where they now reside. Still working everyday with great optimism, Morgan continues to embrace all things: “Mama”, wife, teacher, and mediator to the many voices and muses constantly chattering in her head… where it gets pretty loud!

Links:

The Supernatural Chronicles Facebook Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/434753706727619/




Mardi Gras Blog Parade Schedule:
February 1st
February 2nd
February 3rd
February 4th
February 5th
February 6th
February 7th
February 8th
February 9th
February 10th
    Mardi Gras Parade - mystery boxes
#DYNAMIS!


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Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Bread?

Hello readers! I am writing this from my friends', where I am babysitting. Today has been a busy day off, like they all seem to be, so here I am writing this at 8:24 p.m.

I stayed at a friends last night and forgot to bring gluten-free bread. We had bacon and eggs (made with coconut oil instead of butter) and I really wanted bread. I went onto the Pinterest app on my phone and looked for microwave gluten-free bread. Of course that came up with hundreds of results so I clicked through a few...


(and 2.5 hours later after fighting about bedtime...)

And came across one for Microwave Paleo Bread found here. I had looked over a few others that came up with the search, but they mostly called for things I didn't have at the ready. This one only called for 4 things! Almond flour, check! Eggs, check! Salt, check! Baking powder, check! Combine, stir, pour into a cup, microwave and done. It was pretty good actually! It's especially good with toppings, like peanut butter and honey. It is dry, but that is to be expected, as it is essentially almond flour. I was grateful for the recipe this morning! I am going to try and make it a bit sweeter.

This will go into my recipe folder and be used in the future!
This is what it looks like once out of the mug. Slice it up and serve.