End of January 2010...

...and this year's snow. Any questions?

All the seed catalogs are streaming into the house and I’m getting a little anxious to plant.  I’m wondering where all the snow we have gotten this year will go when it decides to melt and just when it will make it’s way to other pastures.  Yep, we have got a bit of cabin fever here in the kitchen!

Cabin Fever from Muppet Treasure Island

Fortunately for my family, I won’t be putting on a fruit encrusted hat just yet because I have had a fun event to look forward to!  I am super excited to meet up with a bunch of food bloggers in my area at 128 Cafe tonight.  So, so excited!!  It should be a fun time.  I can’t wait to meet some of the people behind the blogs I find so inspiring in our area.  I hope I’m all cool and casual and not all “food groupie” in their face!  And I am thinking I may need to hit the shower at some point today.  Hmmm….  Yeah, good plan, that.

As for my menu plan, I’ll again be trying a recipe for a gluten free biscuit this week while on the quest for the perfect gluten free biscuit.  Not a drop biscuit, mind you, the cut out kind.  Tall and flaky.  I’ll be posting my findings in a couple of weeks (after I have a few to compare).  If you have a great gluten free or gluten and dairy free biscuit recipe, can you let me know where to find the recipe?  Thanks!  I know, finding the best biscuit is a tough job but someone has to do it!

Last week I made the biscuit from The Gluten-Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg, and I (sorry!) probably won’t again.  It does come together easily, but unless you eat it straight out of the oven and enjoy an excessive starchy taste and bouncy texture, it won’t be for you.  To be fair, I do have very high baking expectations AND gluten free baking and ingredients have come a LONG way since this book was published (April of 2000).  I’m willing to bet that You won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free! (June 2008) and her more recent  The Ultimate Gluten-Free Cookie Book (November 2010) may have yummies more to my liking.  On the plus side this cookbook is one of the few that do not expect you to rely on rice based flour blends, so that is great if you have a rice sensitivity.  I have made other recipes from this book in the past that we have liked (the cut out cookies and ice cream cones come to mind) and my older daughter likes the ease of the recipes when she has a baking urge.  For a biscuit, however, we will keep looking…

This week I will be trying the biscuits from DomestiFluff.  I chose it because it has a combo of flours I liked and because, honestly, the picture looks like what I am imagining.  I WANT those biscuits (of course, mine will have to be dairy free).  Wish me luck!

Last week I made Coconut-Spiked Pork with Quinoa and Peanuts from The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook by Judith Finlayson.  My family really enjoyed this one!  It’s not leek season, so I just used an onion I had on hand.  The flavor combo and textures were nicely balanced, it was colorful and made all in one pan.  I will be making this one again!  It is also a perfect meal to make ahead as a lunchtime meal, so it will go in my make ahead freezer lunch rotation also.

Wednesday I’ll be posting the last week of the Gluten & Dairy Free Girl Scout Cookies Makeover, ending with Samoas.  Friday will be another addition of Gluten Free-zer Friday.  See you then!

For more menu ideas, see the HUGE Menu Plan Monday list.  For the Gluten Free Menu Swap, see Gluten-Free Smiles our host for this week.  She has chosen chia seeds as the theme ingredient.  I personally have not had a chance to experiment with them, but am very interested to see what everyone else uses them for.  Bring on the inspiration!

To make this week: Restock freezer with a couple types of breakfast muffins, make and photograph the gluten/dairy free Samoas, make chicken stock/freeze, bake Dark Chocolate Walnut Ginger Biscotti and Almond Dried Cherry Biscotti just because I can and want them.   :o)

Monday: dr. apt/big girl dance class/Boy Scouts/MN Food Blogger Get-Together (squee!!)

Find-Your-Own-Food-Monday: We have leftovers, people!  Eat them up! (Two kinds of chicken wings and dips, salad greens we need to finish, hummus, veggies, beef stew, kale, dinner nacho fixings, etc.)

Tuesday: play practice/Piano lessons (need portable dinner)

Quinoa Turkey Burger (from my January 2010 GF Power Foods class) salad, roasted garlic broccoli

Wednesday: Mom help in 2nd grade class/play practice/little girl dance/youth group

Chicken, White Bean & Kale Soup (from my January 2010 GF Power Foods class) with gluten free biscuits from DomestiFluff

Thursday: apt/Play practice/son dresses up as Clifford for kindergarten round up (he is an awesome Clifford, by the way!)/big girl Girl Scout meeting

Pork Lo Mein (veggies will be determined by what is still in the crisper – peppers, green onions, broccoli and cauliflower will probably find their way in)

Friday: Mom helps in school library/play practice

Still deciding.  Going through my HUGE list of deliciousness I have been bookmarking and wanting  to try from all the yummy GF and GFCF blogs.  So much good stuff to choose from!  I’ll update as soon as I know…