#and that’s the soup that made me a pumpkin soup/savory pumpkin fan and it’s a meal that changed a lot of what I know about the world

[pumpkinsouppe]

Quick question while I’m currently designing them

The big reason is bc I want to design a cazuela de Ave (Mapuche/Chilean chicken and pumpkin soup) and I feel like one person might recognize it without text 💀

Also if you have any soup suggestions feel free to comment them on the post or in the tags lol

[keelywolfe]

Drabble: Kept At Bay (baon)

Summary: There are certain challenges that crop up with a semi-twitter-famous husband.

Tags:  Spicyhoney, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Stretch very nearly tackled Edge that morning in the kitchen, brandishing the flyer like a weapon. Down at the farmer's market they were holding a ‘Fall Favorites’ cookoff that included soups, chilis, desserts, caramel apples, and cider, according to the large, excited font sprawled across the page.

His own baking was mostly finished for the day and it didn’t take long to change into warmer clothes, ignoring the way Stretch rolled his eye lights when Edge tugged a thin knit hat over his skull. He also ignored the under the breath mutters of ‘gotta be a mama bear’; there was a chill in the air and no amount of hot cider or soup was better than simply being prepared.

The market was bustling when they arrived, people already lined up at the various stalls and displays bursting with bright orange pumpkins and dried corn stalks, hay bales stacked around as a sort of impromptu seating for those eagerly sampling the wares. The crisp air was filled with tantalizingly savory aromas, enough to tempt even Edge’s discerning palate.

They were standing in the line for the dubiously named, ‘Mama Di’s Famous Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup’ when it started. The first Human approached, a young woman who was bundled up against the fresh autumn chill, peering up at Stretch through wide-rimmed glasses with eyes that were equally as wide.

“Um, excuse me?” she asked, nervously, “but are you the skeleton Monster from twitter?”

“huh, hang on, lemme check,” Stretch pulled out his phone and made a show of opening up the app while the young woman waited obediently, “let me see…hey, it let me log in under ‘the big le-bone-ski’, is this the guy?”

He held up the phone by his face, sticking his bright orange tongue out to match the profile picture and the young woman laughed, blushing as she nodded.

“Yeah, I think that’s him!” she giggled, then burst out, “Oh, my god, it is so awesome to meet you! Could I maybe get a selfie with you, my friends will freak!”

“sure, hang on.” Edge was already reaching for Stretch’s bag, this one was covered in a pattern of beakers and Bunsen burners, declaring its bearer to be a ‘know-it-all’, standing back and watching as Stretch scrunched down enough to be in the frame, throwing up a pair of long, bony fingers as the two of them grinned for the camera.

Almost immediately, the delighted young woman was replaced by another older one with two young children shyly looking up, up, at Stretch. Who quickly crouched down to chat with his younger fans, plopping down to sit cross-legged in the dusty hay so their mother could take pictures.

Edge stayed in the line, shuffling forward as it moved on and keeping an eye on the small crowd as more people joined the group. Any curious glances at him were quickly redirected with a smooth, ‘pay no mind to the skeleton behind the curtain, he’s shy’. He couldn’t hear what else was being said, but the waves of laughter that came meant that Stretch was likely employing his timeless collection of terrible jokes and puns. Stretch was in his element, but then, he usually was out in the Human world. He teased and joked and cajoled and shone until everyone around him should be a little in love with him. More than a little, if the child pressing a somewhat messy kiss to his cheek bone was any indication.

Perhaps that should make Edge a little jealous, but it didn't. Stretch could bask in the attention all he liked, his pale eye lights sparkling and his own grin bright and cheery. All Edge wanted was to watch his own personal sunshine warm everyone around him and to be able to bring it back home safe with him.

By the time the crowd petered out, Edge was sitting on a convenient hay bale, calmly eating his own soup with a covered bowl sitting next to him, the know-it-all bag at his feet. Stretch wandered over, shoelaces trailing in the dust and his public persona slowly dimming away.

“sorry, babe,” Stretch said sheepishly. He sat on the bale next to Edge and picked up his bowl, pulling off the lid and inhaling deeply the steamy, rich aroma that billowed out. There was still a smear of what looked like jam on his cheek bone, leftover from a childish kiss. Edge wiped it away with one of the paper napkins and replaced the kiss with one of his own.

“Nothing to apologize for, love,” Edge said honestly. He ate his soup, listening as Stretch chatted between bites about the different people he’d just met, wow, smart kids, they were talking about their school science project, and oh, there was going to be a cooking demonstration very soon, could they stay and watch, and—

It was more comforting than any hat or soup could ever hope to be, and Edge only sat there with the chill of autumn kept at bay, letting it warm him.

-finis-

[normal-thoughts-official]

See I think the problem is sweden is just.. cold amshnsdhdj we can’t really grow spices here so throughout the times it’s just been salt and pepper (until we started importing spice from the colonies like we thought we were the brits lmao) but traditional swedish food is like??? Potatoes and meatballs with lingonberry jam and sometimes you make the sauce out of the fat you fried the meatballs in and it’s gross. I’ve never been to Germany actually but that restaurant sounds disgusting I’m so sorry what are they doingggg. THANKFULLy we have so much food imported from pretty much everywhere that most people’s favourite foods is almost always something that didn’t originate here. Like tacos!! It’s a staple in pretty much any household here, at least where I grew up, and one of my friends is obsessed with Indian food, specifically vindaloo which is so so spicy but so good. As for the cream cheese sushi, at the restaurant here they put it in the maki rolls with veggies and a piece of omelet, i cannot stress how good it is ahaha. I love food so much!!! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything Brazilian specifically, but since we’re talking about it I’m really curious. If you have a specific dish or anything you think I should try let me know!! I’m gonna ask google but it’s always fun to get tips from someone who is living with the culture behind it and everything!! - salmon anon (salmnon? salmanon? Swenson? I actually wrote swenon but my phone corrected me so I’m leaving it skhdkshd)

aaaa okay so when it comes to brazilian food you gotta understand that there’s...... so much stuff. our cuisine is super varied and rich and there’s just... a lot. so it all depends on what strikes your fancy. but i have a few suggestions, although keep in mind that again, brazilian cuisine is varied and rich and it’s a big country, so i have the mos contact with food from my region (the southeast), although i’ve been to the northeast, north, and south as well

so the basis of culinary in most brazilian households is the rice + beans + farofa combo. farofa is basically cassava flour with spices, it is made to add Big Crunch to the meal. we eat that in every meal, except for breakfast. it’s kinda the foundation/pillar of the plate. i do recommend trying it, absolutely. the most likely version of that for you to find is feijoada, which is a little stereotypical as far as brazilian dishes go, but i doubt you’d find regular rice beans and farofa around in a small town in sweden. in feijoada the beans come with pork parts, and it’s black beans, not regular beans. it is also traditionally served with kale and orange slices. it’s really good, personally i love it

[image ID: a plate with kale, rice, farofa (which is sandy-colored and has a grainy consistency), orange slices, and feijoada. end ID] 

another great dish worth a try is moqueca. moqueca is (usually) fish/shrimp, coconut milk, dendê oil, bell peppers, and other spices. it takes cilantro so if you are a little bitch, i mean, if you don’t like it, you might skip that one. it is also usually served with farofa or pirão, which is essentially farofa but moist 

[image ID: a pot of moqueca. it looks soup-like and has very vibrant colors, particularly red, yellow, ad green. you can see pieces of bell pepper and chopped cilantro in it. end ID]

i do recommend trying anything palm-heart related if you haven’t. palm heart pies are one of my favorite things. and okay i know that you probably won’t be able to find this but i doubt you’ll be able to find most things i’m talking about so i’m just gonna dream big here: catupiry is this kind of brazilian... cream cheese, except it’s creamier and tastier and just superior in general. we love putting it on shit, and when it comes to stuffing, palm heart + catupiry or chicken + catupiry are my favorites

i also love bobó de palmito na moranga, which is essentially palm heart inside very creamy squash. the most common version actually takes shrimp instead of palm heart, but i don’t like shrimp and they’re not super accessible in my city anyway lol

[image ID: a carved pumpkin with shrimp swimming in a creamy mixture of squash, coconut milk, and catupiry inside. end ID]

escondidinho is another great dish. it means “little hidden one” in portuguese and it is cassava puree with dried meat inside, gratinated. there’s also a version with mashed potatoes, ground beef, and tomato sauce, but cassava is better. honestly just go for anything cassava. it’s the basis of native brazilian culinary and it’s fucking delicious. fried cassava, roasted cassava, cassava puree.... if you’ve never had them, they’re like potatoes, but better in every way. and don’t get me wrong, cuz i love potatoes

anything from the state of minas gerais FUCKS and is highly recommendable. tutu de feijão might look bad for a gringo but i promise it’s worth a try. feijão tropeiro is amazing, and chicken with okra is one of my fave brazilian dishes. it’s also easy to make so you can make it at home, even. just don’t forego the rice beans and farofa. my eastern european friend had never seen okra so if you look it up, no, that is not pepper. it’s not spicy. seriously i know yall are afraid of everything but it’s not

as for snacks! one of the greatest institutions in brazil is coxinha. coxinha is a potato-based batter stuffed with chicken (and usually catupiry as well although coxinha without catupiry is also commonly found) and deep fried. you cannot have a kids party and not serve it, it is absolutely essential. but it is also eaten as a regular snack commonly. it is super good, everyone loves it, and i highly recommend

[image ID: a plate of coxinhas. they are round-ish thingies with a “beak” on top, making it look almost like a pyramid. they are orange-golden in color and have a distinctly deep fried texture. end ID]

another great institution is pão de queijo, which i’ll admit i’m not a fan of because i don’t like cheese (catupiry doesn’t count) but i can’t just forego mentioning it. it takes polvilho, which is tapioca (which is a derivation of cassava, i’ll get there in a minute) flour, with cheese, basically. it gets a fluffy consistency that is hard to describe and that many people love. it is most traditional in the state of minas gerais, but you can find it all over brazil and also in other places in south america although recipes vary

[image ID: a bowl of pão de queijo. they are small, round, and white-ish. they have a very thin hard-looking layer on the exterior, but it also has cracks that make you able to see that the inside is fluffy. end ID]

tapioca! you might have heard of tapioca as the bubbles in bubble tea are made of it. it is a kind of cassava flour, but it’s very different from the cassava flour used to make farofa. it is white in color. you just put that motherfucker in a frying pan (no oil needed) and the grains stick to each other, making a sort of... taco-like thing? it doesn’t taste like a taco but it looks slightly like one. then you just stuff it with Whatever You Want. can be savory or sweet, personally i prefer savory but the "classic” one is coconut and condensed milk. another good stuffing to try is what we call romeu e julieta (literally “romeo and juliet”), which is a cheese that we know as queijo minas, but if you have contact with mexican food you might know as queso fresco, and guava paste. i know it sounds weird which is why it has the name as these two things are not supposed to be together but they go WELL together. romeu e julieta is a common dessert and the basis for thousands and thousands of other recipes in brazil

[image ID: a plate with tapioca. it has the form of a taco, but the “batter” is thinner and white. the inside is coconut and condensed milk. end ID]

speaking of tapioca, DADINHO DE TAPIOCA (tapioca dice) is where shit’s at. it is tapioca flour with cheese rolled into a dice format and fried, served with pepper jam, altho you can forego it, but i DO recommend trying it with the pepper jam. it is not super spicy and so so very good. don’t waste an opportunity to try it

[image ID: dadinhos de tapioca. they are small cubic snacks with a golden color and granulated-looking texture. there is also a little bowl with pepper jam in it. end ID]

and an ESSENTIAL brazilian institution: pastel and caldo de cana. pastel is a flour-based batter with a bit of cachaça (sugarcane liquor) stuffed with Whatever You Want (most common tho are ground beef, and cheese. but personally i’m always a slut for palm heart and there’s a local pizza place near my home that also makes pastel with whatever flavor you could possibly want and broccoli with catupiry pastel? PEAK) and deep fried. it is kinda big for a snack but bro it is so very good. and then we usually have it with caldo de cana, which is sugarcane juice. now, caldo de cana is very sweet, so personally i like to put a little bit of lemon in it, which is how we usually make it in the state of São Paulo, but other states lowkey look down on that (brazilians as a whole have a sweet tooth, many of our desserts are Really Sweet) but they are wrong and we are right. anyway, pastel and caldo de cana are usually served at street markets, so once you are done with your groceries, you can sit down and enjoy some. highly recommended altho again i’ll be surprised if you can find any in sweden. but pastel is not hard to make! caldo de cana is tho, you have to have kind of a machine to extract the juice from it

[image ID: pastel and caldo de cana. pastel is a long, golden-colored, thin rectangle with, in this case, cheese inside. caldo de cana is of a brownish-green with a regular juice consistency. end ID]

onto desserts! an all-time brazilian favorite is brigadeiro. that is condensed milk, butter, and cocoa with chocolate sprinkles, essentially. i recommend using dark chocolate as it is otherwise really sweet but it depends on your tastes. do try it tho

[image ID: brigadeiros. they are little balls completely covered in chocolate sprinkles, each places in a smal paper holder. end ID]

romeu in julieta as i already mentioned is very popular and seriously, give it a try

if you’re into sweet stuff, try rapadura, which is our version of piloncillo. it is like 90% sugar tho so seriously, you gotta like sweets

pé de moleque, which literally translates to “boy’s foot”, is rapadura and roasted peanuts, and it’s one of my all time favorite desserts

[image ID: a plate of pé de moleque. they are thick rectangles with almost entire roasted peanuts parts stuck together by a rich brown sort of batter - rapadura. end ID]

paçoca is also grounded peanuts with a little bit of salt and sugar, usually coming in a cork format. they are absolutely amazing and i can’t recommend them enough

[image ID: paçoca. it literally just looks like a small cork, even the color is similar. looks like something totally underwhelming but i promise you it’s so so very good and worth a try. end ID]

and okay i think that’s what i have!! at least off the top of my head (yeah that’s just what i came up with off the top of my head. like i said. brazilian cuisine is RICH) sorry for the gigantic answer that is probably not very helpful, but welp, now you know what to look for, at least lol also if you’ve followed me for over a year you should have known i would do this. BITCH I’M LATINO FOOD MATTERS TO ME

[mrsmamarhodey]

Gentle Tummy Masterpost

Since we're in tummy-flu season, I figured I'd put together a list of food ideas that are easy on angry systems. Please let me know what you think, or if you have some you want me to add!

Grains:

Polenta: corn grits, also called hominy. They're a staple of Italian and Latin and South American cooking. Eat plain, with maple syrup, or top with soft veggies.

Rice: a worldwide and versatile staple, white is the easiest on sensitive bellies. Eat plain, or as a bowl base for a whole bunch of veggies.

Rice noodles: typically Asian-style, these noodles are made with rice flour instead of the European wheat. Use as bowl bases, in stir fry, or in soup.

Oatmeal: a classic Sick Day food, dress it up with a little bit of maple syrup and bananas, and raspberries if you aren't someone that acid hurts.

Liquids: very very important! Staying hydrated means happy bells and a happy immune system. Here are some of the best.

Veggie broth: good to drink plain or as a base for a more complex soup, you can make your own, purchase concentrate, or purchase it ready-to-use, depending on your dedication and time.

Mushroom broth: a little bit richer and heavier than veggie broth, it used most often in Asian and central European cooking, I find. *May not be a great option if you have IBS or other digestive disorder.

Hot tea!: stick with herbals, they're easiest for your body to process, and don't contain the tannins that tea leaves do. Add honey and lemon juice for sore throats.

Water: a no-brainer. Just drink it. Jazz it up with lemon, mint, and cucumber if that floats your boat.

Mild Juices: try Carrot, Aloe Vera, Cucumber, and Pear juices, they're lower in acid and easier to digest.

Proteins: a lot of heavy meats and other animal products can be difficult to digest, and should be chosen based on how you're feeling, and if necessary, what your doctor recommends. Bear that in mind in this section.

Eggs: egg whites are a very good source of protein, while the yolks are high in fats. Mix and match as you see fit and necessary.

Creamy nut butters: sunflower, peanut, almond, and walnut can all be good options in small quantities. Remember though, these all are naturally high in oils, and can upset your tummy if you overload on them.

Tofu: I am a huge fan of compressed soybean curd. It can be very person-specific though, so try it in small doses.

White fish and chicken: light, bland meats in small portions work relatively well. Don't try to over-season them, and know your portion limits.

Fruits: general rule of thumb, stay away from citrus, other than lemon and lime in your water or as dressing.

Bananas: part of the B.R.A.T. diet, and good for everything. Period cramps, upset tummies, migraines, muscle soreness, and a bunch of other things too.

Apple sauce: lower in acid and fiber, it's even easier on your stomach than whole apples. Also part of the B.R.A.T. diet.

Apples: for people who can process fiber, apples are a great resource. Peeling them is also a positive when you can.

Veggies: look for foods with soluble fibers, and glossy colouring. Also, assume that all of these need to be cooked.

Eggplants: if they're adults, make sure you salt and rest them before cooking to keep them from getting bitter.

Carrots: good for sweet, good for savory, good for sauteing, baking, simmering, steaming, juicing, or anything else you can think of.

Spinach: wilt spinach down, but don't overcook it, it'll get slimy. Splash with a little lemon juice and some salt.

Kale, chard, bok choy: higher in fiber than spinach,and used the same way, it can be good wilted.

Sweet potatoes/regular potatoes: bake and eat plain, they do carry flavor on their own. They can also be used as starts for homemade pasta.

Squash: this includes butternut, acorn, spaghetti, and pumpkins. These are all able to be roasted, cut in half from top to bottom, place cut side down on a baking dish, and cover with about half an inch of water, then foil over the top. Bake at about 400℉ for roughly an hour, or look up specific instructions based on your type of squash. Also, don't eat the skin.

Herbs: not many spices are going to be safe for upset tummies, they're too astringent and pungent.

Basil

Coriander

Ginger

Lemongrass

Marjoram

Mint

Oregano

Parsley

Rosemary

Thyme

If this is helpful for you all, I'd be happy to do example recipes from items on this list. And as always, let me know if I get anything wrong, or I need to add anything!

[sfarticles]

Season of the pumpkin: Add a little twist to this fall favorite

Autumn Stew in a Pumpkin. (Photo Susan Barnson Hayward from Pumpkin It UP, reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith)

Check out my latest column here

https://www.timesherald.com/2021/10/25/season-of-the-pumpkin-add-a-little-twist-to-this-fall-favorite/

Today, we’re talking pumpkin, the next autumn harvest to write about on my docket.

I know fall is in full swing when I see displays of pumpkins and mums greeting me at supermarkets, farmers markets and roadside stands. Add to this, the myriad pumpkin spice products on display at the store.

Whether you carve them, cook them, or decorate your home with a perfectly shaped orange beauty, pumpkins take center stage this time of year.

Pumpkin 101:

• The word “pumpkin” is derived from the Greek word “pepon,” which means “large melon.”

• It is a squash and part of the cucurbita family.

• Six of the seven continents can grow pumpkins.

•  Morton, Ill., is considered the “Pumpkin Capital of the World,” being the home to Nestle’s/Libby’s pumpkin processing plant where 85 percent of the world’s pumpkin is canned.

• The Irish brought the tradition of carving a pumpkin to the United States.

• According to www.pumpkinfresh.com, “The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.

• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling. Colonists sliced off pumpkin tips; removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie.

• Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

It is such a versatile ingredient because it can be baked, boiled, steamed, fried and roasted. The blank canvas is waiting for your culinary creativity. Pumpkin seed oil is used to make salad dressing. The roasted seeds are a healthy snack. I have become a fan of SuperSeedz, flavored pumpkin seeds. My favorites, maple sugar and sea salt and dark chocolate with sea salt.  I met Kathie, the founder of the company at a food trade show. The recipes on the website are simple and healthy; caramelized pear parfaits, Asian slaw, Nutella Mousse, pumpkin yogurt parfait and maple buckwheat flapjacks. Now through November 5, take 25% off your purchase https://bit.ly/3lNdH6r You’ll be hooked on Superseedz,

There’s more to pumpkin than lattes, ice cream and pies. I’ve noticed new pumpkin spice products making an appearance this season: pumpkin spice almonds, oat milk, Irish cream liqueur, peanut butter, breakfast cereals, Twinkies, hot cocoa, bagels and English muffins, pumpkin pie Pop Tarts, and even dog treats! The one that really caught my attention…Epic Pickles of York, PA limited edition of pumpkin spice pickles! I don’t know if I can now still say that I’ll try anything pumpkin spice. I guess I should give it a try.

For this season’s pumpkin inspiration, I took “Pumpkin It Up!” by Eliza Cross (2016, Gibbs-Smith, $16.99) off the shelf. I found sweet and savory ways to enjoy pumpkin, both traditional and with unexpected twists. From homemade pumpkin pie spice mix, classic pumpkin pancakes for a Sunday breakfast to a comforting Pumpkin, Corn and Shrimp Bisque (recipe below) to liven up dinner, a decorative and delicious autumn stew (recipe below) to a decadent pumpkin tiramisu for dessert (recipe below), your pumpkin craving is covered. The versatility makes it the perfect ingredient to be the star in appetizers, soups, pastas, gratins, risotto, and of course, desserts. For the recipe for Maple-Roasted Pumpkin and Brussels Sprouts, visit https://bit.ly/2pGo2qg. For the recipe for Pumpkin Fluff Dip, visit https://bit.ly/3DXmidi

The author’s hints are helpful, too. A few examples:

“When picking out a pumpkin for cooking, look for the smaller pie-pumpkin varieties, which are sweeter and have a smoother texture than those grown for carving jack-o’-lanterns.”

“One 8-inch diameter pie pumpkin will yield about 3 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin.”

“When buying canned pumpkin, look for cans labeled ‘solid pack’ rather than ‘pumpkin pie filling,’ which have added ingredients.”

Make family memories this season picking your pumpkin from a pick-your-own farm . Then, come home and make a jack-o’-lantern and cook up a dish with the fresh picked squash.

Here are several places to enjoy fall, including pick-your-own farms, hayrides, corn mazes and old-fashioned fun. Please call for up-to-date protocols, hours and fall offerings.

Hellerick’s Family Farm, Doylestown, PA 215-766-8388 www.hellericksfar,com

Highland Orchards, West Chester, PA 610-269-3494 www.highlandorchards.com

Linvilla Orchards, Media, PA 610-876-7116 www.linvilla.com

Merrymead Farm, Lansdale, PA 610-584-4410 www.merrymead.com

Milky Way Farm Chester Springs, PA www.milkywayfarm.com

Solly Farm, Warminster, PA 215-357-2850 www.sollyfarm.com

Styer Orchard Langhorne. PA 215-702-9633 www.styerorchard.com

                            Creamy Pumpkin Tiramisu

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, chilled

3/4 cup sugar

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened

1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin purée

¾  teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 (3-ounce) packages ladyfingers, halved

4 tablespoons apple cider, divided

4 gingersnap cookies, finely crushed

In a large bowl, beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Add the mascarpone, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice; beat just until filling is smooth.

Line the bottom of a 9-by-23/4-inch spring form pan with one package ladyfingers, breaking and overlapping to fit. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons apple cider. Spread half the pumpkin filling over the ladyfingers. Repeat a second layer with the remaining package of ladyfingers, remaining 2 tablespoons apple cider, and remaining filling. Smooth the top of the tiramisu, cover, and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To unmold, run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Release pan sides and sprinkle with crushed gingersnaps. Makes 8 servings.

                       Pumpkin, Corn, and Shrimp Bisque

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 (15-ounce) cans cooked pumpkin purée

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 ½  teaspoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (14 ½ -ounce) cans cream-style corn

1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Finely chopped green onions, for garnish

In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil and sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until tender, 6-7 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin, broth, seafood seasoning, pepper, and corn; heat, stirring frequently, until mixture simmers. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Add shrimp, increase heat to medium, and cook until shrimp are pink and opaque, 4-7 minutes. Serve garnished with green onions. Makes 8 servings.

                                Autumn Stew in a Pumpkin

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup water

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 -inch slices

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

1 (14 ½  -ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 (10- to 12-pound) pumpkin

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium heat and brown the beef. Drain the grease and add the water, potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in the bouillon and tomatoes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You may need to rearrange the racks in your oven so the pumpkin will fit.

Wash the pumpkin and cut a 6-inch circle around the top stem. Remove the top, trim the pulp from the underside, and reserve. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Place pumpkin on a sturdy baking pan and carefully pour the stew inside. Replace the top and brush the outside with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake just until pumpkin is tender, 1 ½ -2 hours. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Serve stew directly from the pumpkin, along with some of the cooked pumpkin Makes 8-10 servings.

Stephen Fries, is a professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, CT. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 13 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, CT. Stephen@stephenfries.com For more, go to stephenfries.com.

 Recipes and photos courtesy of  Pumpkin It UP, reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith  Photos Susan Barnson Hayward

[daisycactus20-blog]

57 Vegan Pumpkin Recipes (Updated)

This is one of my favorite round-up posts.. all things pumpkin!

Vegan Pumpkin Recipes. From pumpkin cinnamon buns, pumpkin fritters, cozy soups, rice dishes, ice cream, donuts, quesadillas and multiple versions of vegan pumpkin pie - these are all my pumpkin-y recipes.

These recipe posts are both recent and vintage. Savory and sweet. A few that are super healthy - and plenty that are quite decadent and sweet. There is something for everyone on this list - so if you have a can of pumpkin sitting in your kitchen pantry, give this list a look and hopefully find some inspiration!

Last updated: 2018

My 57 Vegan Pumpkin Recipes

1. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Frosting

2. 5-Ingredient Pumpkin Pie (Cheesecake too!)

3. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf

4. Peanut Butter Pumpkin Seed Chocolate Chip Cookies

5. Pumpkin Spice Latte with tips! - beverage + how-to Here is my PSL how-to. Plus video!

6. Soft Pumpkin Cookies with chocolate

7. Pumpkin Nog - beverage This festive nog uses the creamy flavor of pumpkin to make it extra special.

8. Pumpkin Ghost Donut Holes - dessert or breakfast These cute little ghosts are a delicious and fun way to celebrate pumpkin around the Halloween season. Pumpkin donut holes are coated in vanilla glaze.

9. Maple-Pumpkin Quesadilla - appetizer or entree These are so savory-sweet and amazing with pumpkin butter and white beans and a hint of maple. Crispy 'dilla tortillas to swaddle it all!

10. Pumpkin Cookies - dessert These fun frosted pumpkin cookies are fun to make with kids. You can frost them simply or decorate their faces into jack-o-lantern styles! Top with chopped pecans or whatever you'd like!

11. Jack-o-Pumpkin Breakfast Sandwich - breakfast Oh my goodness I LOVE this recipe. And even better, so does my husband! Warm vegan breakfast sausage combines with a hint of vegan cheese, homemade pumpkin butter, greens and some savory mushrooms. This is a breakfast bite to CRAVE!

12. Pumpkin Pie Tarts with Vanilla Glaze - breakfast pastry These homemade pastry bites are like the mini, toaster-tart-looking pumpkin pies. Warm pumpkin butter inside, flaky vegan crust on the outside. And these sweet morning treats are easier to make than you may think!

13. Pumpkin Kale 'Fried Rice' Bowl with Tofu - entree This one-bowl meal is a favorite fall dish of mine! It has it all. Cozy rice, protein-rich tofu cubes, kale and more.

14. Pumpkin Pudding in 5 Ingredients - healthy dessert If you have five minutes and five ingredients you can whip up this healthy treat bowl of pumpkin pudding - cinnamon speckled, creamy, packed with protein and super delish!

15. Pumpkin Spice Scones with vanilla bean frosting - breakfast These easy to make scones bake up with pumpkin pie flavors, vanilla bean on top! Warm and fluffy for a cozy morning. Pair with your fave latte, cocoa or tea.

16. "Run Amok!" Pumpkin Cookies - dessert These Halloween perfect cookies are like classic chocolate chip, only with a few added goodies and a pumpkin-infused spin. Watch Hocus Pocus and bake up these!

17. Pumpkin Waffles - breakfast These fluffy spice and maple pumpkin waffles are lovely for a fall or winter brunch. They are gluten free and have the welcoming aroma or citrus and cinnamon. Maple syrup on top.

18. Ginger Sage Butternut Pumpkin Soup - soup I love this soup on a chilly fall night when I am craving something ultra-cozy, calming, comfy and delicious. The recipe is simple and the flavors of sage and pumpkin are outstanding. This is a must-try for creamy soup fans.

19. Pumpkin Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Ginger Glaze - sweet breakfast treat Hm, these amazing cinnamon rolls really need no introduction. Pumpkin. Cinnamon. Creamy ginger glaze. If you want a fall-infused pumpkin cinnamon roll - give this recipe a try!

20. Pumpkin Brownies - dessert These sturdy pumpkin brownies are rich in chocolate flavor and super satisfying. They bake up dense and amazing. Perfect for a fall chocolate craving.

21. Pumpkin Chai Oat Blueberry Muffins - muffin Blueberry muffins with a healthy, spiced, pumpkin-y, fall spin! Warm and fluffy. Pair with a steamy latte for a perfect fall morning.

22. Pumpkin Muffins - Cinnamon Frosted - muffins These fluffy, dense pumpkin muffins are simply wonderful! The pure smooth flavor of pumpkin shines through in each golden bite.

23. Roasted Cauliflower Pumpkin Swirl Dip - Appetizer This is another seasonal recipe that I CRAVE! The flavors of roasted cauliflower and rustic fall pumpkin combine in a swirled bowl of warm baked dip. Spread on warmed crusty bread, crackers - or eat by the spoonful! This stuff is amazing at fall gatherings.

24. Hubbard Pumpkin Pie - healthy dessert This recipe is truly for the pumpkin pie experts out there. Those who want to try a rustic, authentic, dense, creamy-velvet version of homemade pumpkin pie. This pie was really delicious and so healthy that it makes a great afternoon bite or even breakfast!

25. Toasty Pumpkin Chickpea Fritters - side dish or patty I LOVE these! Love them. Toasty little golden gems of pumpkin goodness. Crispy coated and very lightly pan-fried. You could bake them too. They are delicious on their own or use them as a burger patty. Savory with a hint of sweet.

26. Crispy Tofu Pumpkin Spread Sandwich - lunch sandwich This lovely hearty sandwich has a pumpkin-sweet potato spread on top. Crispy golden tofu too. A favorite combo of mine for a lunch or dinner sandwich.

27. Pumpkin Spice Orange Banana Bread Bars - bakery snack cake These fluffy bars combine pumpkin and banana bread - what is not to love?! Enjoy for breakfast or as a snack. Pair with a hot beverage for a cozy fall moment.

28. Pumpkin Pie - from scratch - dessert Homemade pumpkin pie from scratch with a homemade gingersnap crust. And yes, I even made the gingersnaps. This amazing pie is one of my favorites for special fall gatherings. (Or you can try my 4 and 5 ingredient tweaks to pumpkin pie below!)

29. Pumpkin Pie (in 4 ingredients) (in 5 ingredients) - dessert I was dying to really make the easiest pie recipes ever. And with these two recipes I think I succeeded! Both pies turn out delicious. And with only 4 or 5 ingredients you won't have to sweat much in the kitchen.

30. Golden Trio Soup - entree soup This golden trio soup has butternut squash, sweet potato and pumpkin - chipotle flavors - warm, creamy and spiced. Crispy tofu cubes on top.

31. Cheesecake Pumpkin Pie - dessert Cheesecake meets pumpkin pie in a rich and creamy swirled slice.

32. Pumpkin Pie Parfait - dessert or snack These easy parfaits have layers of pumpkin pudding, coconut whip and grahams. So good and such a crowd pleaser! Make ahead approved. Pumpkin pie bliss. No holiday required.

33. Hot Pumpkin Mug - beverage This is like the pumpkin version of hot cocoa. And it is kinda like a pumpkin spice latte, without the espresso and with more pumpkin! So creamy and delicious for fall!

34. Walnut Pumpkin Pie - This no-bake pie is so rich and creamy and loaded with healthy walnuts! I love this as my holiday pie. ps. You could bake this if you like a firmer pie!

35. Pumpkin Spice Loaf - breakfast or snack This fluffy cranberry pumpkin spice loaf pairs perfectly with tea. Sugar Plum Fairy Loaf for the holidays!

36. Orange Pumpkin Hummus. - appetizer or snack This is a yummy fall hummus infused with pumpkin and spice and citrus.

37. Maple Bliss Vegan Pumpkin Pie - dessert This is a maple sweetened pumpkin pie. So luxurious and dreamy!

38. Cinnamon Pumpkin Graham Cookies or Crackers - dessert These are cozy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made using graham flour.

39. Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte - beverage Ditch Starbucks and make your pumpkin spice beverage in house - sip in your slippers :)

40. 2-Minute Pumpkin Pie Pudding. This super fast pudding has walnuts and pumpkin and pie spices galore. Sweet, creamy and perfect for a dessert or snack!

41. Pumpkin Pie Pillows Cookies - dessert or snack These little nuggets of yum are perfect with tea.

42. Sour-Cream Swirled Pumpkin Pie - dessert Another version of pie - with a creamy white swirl!

43. Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread - side or snack or breakfast This fluffy and hearty bread has goodness of pumpkin and oatmeal combined in one.

44. Two Pumpkin Muffins - one cream cheese topped - muffins Two pumpkin muffin recipes to try. One with a moist vegan cream cheese top.

45. Pumpkin Apple Harvest Rice - savory entree or side dish This cozy bowl of pumpkin rice with sweet crunchy apples and veggies is one of my favorite easy bowls to whip up for lunch or dinner. Pumpkin flavor in each savory, nutty bite.

46. Frosty Pumpkin Shake - dessert smoothie This cool, creamy shake is swirled with frosty flavors of creamy coconut and smooth spiced pumpkin. Eat it with a spoon!

47. Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Cookies - goodness-infused dessert These tender round gems are a new sweet fall treat of mine. Pumpkin combines with chocolate and rustic oats for a flavor that is naughty-meets-nice.

48. Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal - breakfast This unique pumpkin oatmeal uses pumpkin cream to drizzle over top and fold in the cereal to make creamy, rich oats. Spice and maple flavors.

49. Pumpkin Spice Cashew Cheese Dip - appetizer I created this recipe when I was on a cashew cheese kick a few years ago. And it is quite warm and cozy! It starts out with some soaked cashews and ends up with a warm-from-the-oven dip of pumpkin spice deliciousness. This dip can be served warm or chilled. Party-approved. Savory-meets-sweet.

50. Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Layer Cake - dessert This rich and fluffy dessert is pretty much food porn on a plate. It looks like a fluffy layer cake with melty, creamy vegan frosting - but it tastes like a pumpkin-infused cinnamon bun with swirls of cinnamon throughout. So decadent. So good. So splurge-worthy.

51. Pumpkin Pretzels - snack or breakfast or dessert These soft pretzels are filled with holiday flavor and appeal. They bake up fluffy and rich in cinnamon spice. They remind me of cinnamon rolls, only in a pumpkin-y pretzel form!

52. Pumpkin Loaf with Chocolate Chips! - snack or dessert This fluffy loaf is studded with melty chocolate chips.

53. Date-sweetened Pumpkin Loaf - breakfast or snack This is a super fluffy and yummy pumpkin loaf. Perfect with tea or a latte. Rich pumpkin color and flavor.

54. Pumpkin Ice Cream - dessert This summer meets fall recipe is incredibly luxurious and delicious. Creamy and rich with pumpkin pie flavor.

55. Pumpkin Risotto with sage and spices - entree This cozy entree or side dish is loaded with fall flavor. It can be served as fancy or casual as you want it! I love risotto tacos with white beans, skillet mushrooms and heat!

56. Crustless Pie with Pecan Streusel - healthy dessert This crust-free pumpkin pie is so good! You seriously won't miss the crust.

57. Pumpkin Brownies - dessert These are so good and perfect for pumpkin season! Pumpkin makes these brownies extra fudgy delicious.

Hope you can try one or a few of these cozy-delicious pumpkin recipes this fall :)

Source: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/10/my-25-best-vegan-pumpkin-recipes.html

[prepperjournal]

New Post has been published on http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2017/05/20/13-tips-oatmeal-food-stores/

13 Tips for Using Oatmeal from Your Food Stores

Editor’s Note: This article was generously contributed by R. Ann Parris. If you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and possibly win a $300 Amazon Gift Card to purchase your own prepping supplies, enter today.

Oatmeal – Jazzing Up the Ubiquitous Prepper Cereal

Being inexpensive, rolled oats can help us save money now, and it’s a good one to stock up on for the same reasons – cheap, filling and full of endurance-granting slow-release energy. I’m not a big fan of “just” oatmeal as a hot cereal. It’s just … well, boring. Too, I anticipate plenty enough spoon-and-bowl meals from beans and rice, boiled wheat or barley, or soups in a crisis, whether it’s a personal crisis or a widespread disaster. I’d rather avoid more as much as possible. The humble rolled oats tub actually helps me there in a big way.

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Using mostly things that are also already in my storage or that are easy and inexpensive to obtain, I can churn out desserts, snacks, sides, dinners and breakfasts that are interesting and varied, and don’t really taste like oatmeal. Oatmeal also has a lot of soothing and absorption properties that gives it some handy topical uses.

Using Oatmeal to Extend Meats & Meals

Mix in flakes of oatmeal and-or lentils and ground beans to extend things like meatloaf, meatballs and the hamburger in stews. Oats also make a fabulous replacement for breadcrumbs that would be used as binding or for coating meats.

Add it into Stovetop or homemade bread dressing or stuffing to increase the healthy fibers and calories, and the feelings of satiety from meals.

Grind coarsely or finely and add to flours for bannock, breads, muffins, and biscuits. Zucchini bread, carrot cake and other sweets can take as much as a quarter of the flour in oats without a significant change in texture or flavor. Pancakes, pie crusts, dumplings, cookies and cobblers can all have part of the flour replaced, especially with oats processed to a fine powder.

Fifty-fifty mixes or greater will be far more noticeable and may require additional liquids, but it also increases the heartiness of foods, helps us feel fuller and keep that satisfaction longer over stripped bleached flours especially, gives us healthier, natural arcs of energy, and lowers the glycemic index of foods while helping stomachs process.

Ground oatmeal can also be used to thicken soups, stews and gravy, just like ground beans or lentils that are too old to soak up water efficiently.

Easy Non-Cereal Recipes

Oatmeal has a lot of applications for cooking, without resorting to a bowl of hot cereal. Most of them can be done with a Dutch oven, campfire, rocket stove, or a solar oven or Wonderbag cooker if we don’t have access to our stoves and ovens.

Ash cakes can be made out of pretty much any flour. Using some salt, milk, egg or fats will improve flavor, but the bare-bones way of doing it is to mix just a little water at a time with flour or meal – or in this case, oats – until we can form a patty, then flopping it onto a cooler section of ash. Rolled oats will do best if they’re ground to a flour or if they’re allowed to soak a bit first. As a plain, just-salted version, they make a bread we can have with soups or meats. A little sugar or fruits, and we’re getting closer to a cookie. Alternatively, we can top them with honey or jams, fruits, sweetened cream, or something like a chili or bean medley.

Baked Oatmeal Muffins – A basic recipe with add-in’s for interest and variety is here https://brendid.com/healthy-oatmeal-muffins-no-flour-no-sugar-no-oil/ along with additional links. You can also find dozens of recipes as simple or complicated as you like, with and without other flours and oils, with just about any search. They turn oats into a fast, easy finger food that’s readily portable.

No-Bake Cookies are a staple in some lives. With just a few ingredients and few utensils dirtied, we can use up our oats to satisfy cravings for a fork or finger food as well as a sweet treat. Given the speed with which they disappear as either drop clusters or sliced squares at BSA and adult gatherings these days, during a disaster they’ll be a for-sure hit.

Oatmeal bars can be found as Amish Baked Oatmeal or other standard baked oatmeal, such as this one http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/baked-oatmeal. Oatmeal can also be turned into homemade granola bars. They’re out there in the internet world as soft chewy bars or crunchy options. All of them are adaptable to the fruits, nuts and seeds we have on hand or prefer. There are also homemade granola bars that make use of cereals that store well such as Rice Krispies, Cheerios, or Chex, which can increase the variety even more.

Crunchy granola clusters like this one that has healthier ingredients and a few extra steps and this one that uses lower-cost and easy-to-source ingredients with fewer steps in the process have a lot of versatility. There’s a lot to be said for the ability to turn out a nice snacking portion while using up inexpensive oats, today and later. And, if you’re giddy for it, making mini clusters to throw in as a homemade cold cereal can help provide a different breakfast meal even with a spoon.

Fruit crisps – A basic oatmeal crisp recipe such as this one has a lot of versatility, both now and during a personal crisis or a widespread disaster. We can use it with any pie filling we have, or regular canned fruits we strain or thicken the syrups. We can also use it to make stuffed apples, pears or peaches. It can go over cubed, mashed or pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes as well, or can be used as a topper for a baked sweet potato. Oatmeal crisp is pretty versatile and forgiving, so we can add a quarter to a half extra oats to our recipe if we want a somewhat heartier and healthier version, or just to help us use up a few more of our rolled oats.

Cookies, Pizzas & Pie Crusts – Cookies are pretty cool as they are. Made thick and gooey, they can be a pretty hearty dessert by topping with dried or canned fruit or pie filling, with or without heavy or whipped cream. We can spread them out in a pie pan to make a quickie crust, use a crisp recipe for a pie crust, or we can bake them as a big, wide cookie to then slice up as a dessert pizza topped with cream cheese, frosting or glaze and then whatever fruit, nuts or morsels floats our boat.

Southern Oatmeal Cake – There are numerous versions of oatmeal cakes, although they’re pretty similar. It’s not the prettiest dish in the lineup, but it’s gooey happiness that can satisfy our sweet tooth without enormous expense. For an easier version that’s more storage friendly or to create some variety, we can alternate the topping with tubs of German chocolate cake frosting, reduced sweetened condensed milk, or just honey if coconut isn’t available. It’s also pretty darn nummy just with some heavy cream, whole milk, whipped cream, or clotted cream on top.

Fried Oatmeal is like fried grits. It starts with the cereal we all know, then it gets packed in a glass or a lined bowl, chilled so it sets up, and later, gets turned out and sliced, then fried in grease, butter or oil. The amount or depth of oil in the pan can change the texture some. The size of the slice both in thickness and width-by-height can affect whether it’s a plate meal like pancakes or if it can be picked up like happy French toast fingers for a non-spoon meal. As with pancakes, waffles and French toast, the topping options become endless – fried “dippy” eggs, sweetened syrups or fruits, chocolate or strawberry milk syrup, cinnamon sugar, and sausage bits and honey are favorites in our house. Chopped nuts can be included in the cereal or added on top for a little bit more texture yet.

For additional ideas about using oatmeal, do a search for savory recipes. Even when it’s served as a bowl of hot cereal, inclusions like grated radish, sprouts, fish, and tomatoes and peppers can increase the variety we’re seeing with our rolled oats and help prevent fatigue from them.

Oats Outside the Kitchen

We can really feel our oats sometimes. Probably most of us have already seen or use – possibly regularly – a product that makes use of some of oats’ best qualities. Just as oatmeal is a pretty soothing and mild option for breakfast, it has a lot of uses externally, too.

Oats can be added to bathwater or used as a paste to relieve:

Dry, itchy skin (for animals, too)

Bug bites

Burns & sunburn

It can also be added to soaps for its soothing qualities, or turned into an exfoliating scrub.

Combined with baking soda, we can use ground oatmeal flour as a dry shampoo, scrubbing it in with our fingers, then brushing it out. The two absorb oils and relieve any itching, which can be an excellent low-weight and inexpensive option during sweaty garden seasons should water be in limited supply.

That dry shampoo can also safely be used on cats and dogs, to save money on no-rinse shampoos, to avoid stressing a pet with a shower bath, to treat flea or grass allergies, or to avoid getting them wet in cold weather.

Satchels & Sachets

When we don’t really want to turn a bath into an oatmeal pot to scrub, or don’t have a tub available, we can make little balls of rolled oats, with or without additives like baking soda or herbs and oils to gain relief from skin irritations. We can use them in showers, baths, creeks, or just dampened and dabbed on affected areas.

Those, too, can be used on our pets to treat hot spots, bites, and irritated skin.

Satchels of rolled oats can also be used to:

Absorb odors in shoes, closets, bags, coolers

Absorb moisture from containers before sealing, or sealed with important items

Heat relieves some of the discomfort from cramps, headaches and muscle pains. Pouches can also be filled with warmed dry oatmeal to create in-the-glove or pocket hand-warmers.

Using Up Oats

Oats are a major part of prepper food storage kits because they’re inexpensive. They store well, last well past supermarket best-by dates, have a lot of health benefits for the gut and cardiovascular system, and the fiber and whole grains of rolled oats help us feel full for longer as well as provide slow-release energy that can keep us moving through long days of work or travel.

Happily, they’re also pretty versatile, and with a little creativity we can use them to stretch our budgets now as well as increase our food storage.

There are probably fifty million more recipes out there for making oats without a steaming bowl and spoon, from breads to desserts. There are probably another dozen helpful ways to use it up outside the kitchen. These are just a few of my favorites, due to the ease or the effectiveness of them. Feel free to tag on your additional favorite non-cereal-bowl recipes and uses outside the kitchen.

[newscitygroup]

How Jell-O molds claimed their spot on the american table

I ate Jell-O, of course — it was the first thing I learned to “cook,” in a dedicated set of Tupperware bowls. Its bright primary colors sparkled in glass coupes at every coffee shop in the city, and it had a taste of forbidden fruit, like melted hard candies. With a crown of equally forbidden whipped topping, it was considered a luxurious dessert.

But in my 14th year, the Jell-O paradigm shifted. My pack of friends was invited to dinner at the home of another friend; her mother, a transplanted Southerner, had already set the table with the first course. All of us New Yorkers stopped dead, goggling at plates that held individual molds of red Jell-O topped with a dab of something too yellow to be Cool Whip.

Someone blurted out, “If that’s mayonnaise, I’ll choke!” Naturally, this was greeted with shrieks of laughter. With ice water in her voice, this heroic woman simply said, “You can scrape it off if you don’t like it.”

I remember eating the rest of the meal in silence, cheeks burning with shame. Still, I wondered: Why was dessert served as an appetizer? Why was it topped with the sandwich spread?

I had stumbled into the eternal conundrum of Jell-O: Is it a salad, a dessert or somehow both?

This time of year, many Americans have Jell-O molds on their minds. Jell-O consumption has gone down steadily since its peak in the mid-20th century, but many cooks bring back a favorite dish in this category for the holiday table. (Others satisfy themselves with a can of wiggly gelled cranberry sauce, and some serve both.) Whether it is called a Jell-O mold or a congealed salad, or has a given name like Golden Glow Salad, Celery Nut Circle or Strawberry Pretzel Surprise, it is usually sweet and tangy, sometimes creamy or salty, occasionally crunchy and briny.

But even those who love them are not always sure what they are.

“It goes on the buffet with the turkey and the ham, and it stays through the pies,” said Jeffrey Zweben, a lawyer in Atlanta. He ignores Jell-O for most of the year, but starts stockpiling his favorite, the hard-to-find black cherry flavor, in September. For his signature Thanksgiving mold, he combines it with whole cranberries, crushed pineapple, cream cheese, whipped cream and — of course — a tablespoon of mayonnaise.

“It goes with everything,” he said firmly. “Jell-O is a processed joy.”

But do all Jell-O molds evoke joy? A spin through The New York Times Food library turned up a Mormon community cookbook recipe with lemon Jell-O, canned tuna, canned condensed chicken-and-rice soup, salad dressing, whipped cream, celery, peas and walnuts; a 7Up Cheese Aspic with lime Jell-O, 7Up soda, grated onion, diced Velveeta, celery and olives; and a corned beef loaf with lemon Jell-O, for which there are no words.

It took more than 20 years for me to exorcise and explain that first Jell-O mold encounter. The process began at luncheon at the Woman’s Club in Richmond, Virginia, where each guest received an exquisite plate: a half-moon of red Jell-O surrounded by cheese straws, cream cheese-stuffed celery sticks and a scoop of chicken salad.

I loved this meal, but I still didn’t understand it.

(Audra Melton | The New York Times) Jeffrey Zweben’s signature Jell-O mold at home in Atlanta, on Nov. 23, 2019.

I tried. I learned that gelatin salads flow from the traditions of Edwardian vegetable aspics; of ancient, naturally gelled bone broths; of European classics like jellied meats and Bavarian cream and blancmange. I learned that the United States is far from alone in its dedication to jellies: grass jelly in China, kanten in Japan and gulaman in the Philippines are all made from agar, a bouncy gelling agent extracted from algae.

I learned that sweet, cheap, instant Jell-O was a dessert that truly reflected the Space Age, that its artificial qualities were part of its appeal.

I learned that women who were nudged back into home kitchens after World War II brought their pent-up ambition and creativity to the new phenomenon of “entertaining,” and that a molded salad could be seen as a metaphor for how women of the era were supposed to be: well-contained, bright, pretty and resilient.

“A salad at last in control of itself,” is how historian Laura Shapiro described Jell-O molds in “Perfection Salad,” her book about American cooking at the turn of the 20th-century. It is titled after a durably popular concoction of lemon Jell-O with shredded cabbage, carrots, celery, peppers and pimento-stuffed olives. (The recipe won third place and a sewing machine in a 1904 contest held by the Knox Gelatine company, and was published in its booklet “Dainty Desserts for Dainty People” in 1915.)

It is easy to poke fun at Jell-O molds like these; in fact, there are blogs and Twitter feeds dedicated to surfacing them. It is not as easy to understand how they fit into Thanksgiving traditions, as they certainly do, especially in the South, Midwest and Utah (where Jell-O is the official state snack).

Jellies have a long history on American tables, going back at least to Thomas Jefferson’s diplomatic mission to France, where he lived from 1784 to 1789 and wrote down a recipe for nutmeg- and lemon-spiked “wine jelly” on what appears to be an 18th-century version of a cocktail napkin.

When the dish was served at Monticello, however, it is certain that the actual work of boiling and scraping a calf’s foot to make gelatin, clarifying it with egg whites, seasoning it with a fortified wine, sugar, lemon and nutmeg, and making sure it set evenly was overseen by James Hemings, the enslaved chef who had received formal French culinary training during Jefferson’s time abroad.

Historian Toni Tipton-Martin said that jellies and aspics connoted wealth and luxury because they were so hard to make. “It showed not only that you had people working for you,” she said, “but you had extra hands to make food that was completely frivolous.”

For less privileged Americans, meals were entirely practical, and repetitive at best. Tipton-Martin said the root vegetables and starches that we associate with Thanksgiving — stale bread, potatoes, winter squash — made up the daily diet of many people from November to March until the Industrial Revolution.

The need for preserves, relishes and chutneys to relieve the monotony (and to provide nutrition) was acute. Thanksgiving became an occasion to break into jars that held the previous summer’s harvest, most of them with flavors both briny and sweet: pickled carrots and green tomatoes, piccalilli and pear butter, pickled blackberries and corn relish. Tart jellies made from pectin-rich fruit, like quince and cranberries, were commonly served with meat.

After 1845, when Peter Cooper patented the first powdered unflavored gelatin, the history of Jell-O races forward. Savory molds like cucumber mousse, tomato aspic and glacé fish mold were just as popular as sweet ones until the presweetened Jell-O brand cornered the market soon after being introduced at the turn of the 20th century.

According to historian Anne Mendelson, the product’s convenience was so invaluable to women of the early 20th century that they simply plugged sweet lime, lemon and cherry Jell-O into savory recipes that were once seasoned with fresh lemon juice, meat stock and tomato juice.

“That’s how we ended up with these sweet gelatin salads,” said Mendelson, the author of “Stand Facing the Stove,” a comprehensive history of “Joy of Cooking.”

As “Joy of Cooking” has evolved since the first edition in 1931, written by Irma S. Rombauer, so have its recipes for gelatin molds and related aspics, whips, snows, puddings and charlottes. Some of the originals remain holiday classics, like the Golden Glow Salad of crushed pineapple, shredded carrots and lemon or orange Jell-O. (The finished product looks like a luminous, jiggly pumpkin.)

“That one turned out to be part of a lot of people’s Thanksgivings,” said John Becker, the book’s latest editor (and one of Irma’s great-grandsons). Becker, who edited the 2019 edition with his wife, Megan Scott, is a member of the fourth generation of the Rombauer family to attempt to steer the book through the wild swings of American food in the last century.

Irma Rombauer “adored anything you could do with sweet gelatin,” Mendelson said, but her daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker, “got religion about healthy eating and about fighting Big Food,” and took out many of the elaborate (layered, stuffed, multicolored) gelatin salads by 1975.

The 2019 edition has about 10 gelatin salads, mostly made with unflavored gelatin and real fruit juices, and accompanied by advice on how to make them vegan. Becker said that he and Scott wanted to move the book back toward its roots as a practical manual that both reflects and inspires the cooks of its time.

“We didn’t want to retain legacy content just for the sake of kitsch,” he said.

But kitsch is definitely part of the Jell-O-mold conversation.

Victoria Belanger, the self-proclaimed Jell-O Mold Mistress of Brooklyn and an expert in the gelatinous arts, said that among fans of her work, “there’s a kind of ironic attitude toward Jell-O molds.”

She said the tradition has recently morphed again among younger Thanksgiving cooks, who make fancy dessert Jell-O shots in flavors like cranberry spice and apple pie a la mode. Modern holiday Jell-O-shot recipes are layered like parfaits and garnished like craft cocktails, with herb sprigs and sugar-frosted cranberries.

Ashley Baker is a law student in Colorado who holds an annual potluck Friendsgiving feast, for which she does all the desserts. This year, instead of pumpkin pie, she’s making pumpkin spice Jell-O shots with Kahlúa, vodka and cream. “P.S.L. Jell-O shots go really well with other desserts,” she said. (PSL, or pumpkin spice latte flavor, doesn’t necessarily include either pumpkin or coffee; it’s a mix of cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and nutmeg that used to be called pie spice.)

“This way I don’t have to make pumpkin pie,” Baker said. “No one ever ate it anyway.”

Recipe: Cherry-Lemon Cream Jell-O Mold Yield: 10 to 12 servings Total time: 30 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ chilling 1 large (6-ounce) package lemon Jell-O 4 cups boiling water 1 (16-ounce) container sour cream Neutral cooking spray 2 large (6-ounce) packages black cherry Jell-O, or use plain cherry or cranberry Jell-O 1 quart sweet or tart cherry juice, or use cranberry juice (opt for less cloudy varieties) Fresh holly sprigs, bay leaves or edible flowers, for garnish 1. Pour lemon mix into a medium bowl and add 2 cups boiling water. Stir until dissolved, then let cool until warm but not steaming hot, about 10 minutes. Gradually whisk in sour cream until smooth. 2. Spray a 10- or 12-cup mold or Bundt pan, preferably nonstick, very lightly with neutral cooking spray. Blot any extra oil with paper towels. Pour in lemon-sour cream mixture and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. 3. About 15 minutes before lemon-sour cream mixture has set, pour cherry mix into a large bowl and add 2 cups boiling water. Stir until dissolved, then stir in cherry or cranberry juice. Make sure mixture has cooled to lukewarm at most before proceeding. 4. When lemon-sour cream mixture is set, gently ladle the cherry mixture over it. Don’t pour it on top, as the mixture breaks easily. Refrigerate again until completely set, at least 3 hours or overnight. (If you want to create multiple thinner layers of Jell-O, as seen in the picture here, instead of just one layer of each flavor, see Note.) 5. When ready to unmold, run the tip of a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to break the seal. Dip the bottom half of the mold in warm (not hot) water for 15 seconds. Place a serving plate over the top and flip to unmold. (If the mold doesn’t come out immediately, don’t shake it; try the warm water treatment again, 15 seconds at a time, until it comes out. If you leave the mold in the water for a longer time, it may start to melt.) 6. Just before serving, garnish, then slice, using a sharp knife and wiping the blade between slices. Note: To create multiple thinner layers in the mold, refrigerate 1 hour after adding each layer, and whisk each remaining Jell-O mixture in its bowl well before ladling it into the mold or Bundt pan to form the next layer. Chill the completed mold at least 3 hours or overnight.

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[unwritrecipes]

Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup-2019

Happy November! Are you still drowning in Halloween candy? Here in the Northeast, the weather did not exactly cooperate, so even though I bought far less candy than I usually do, we still have a fairly large bowl of it leftover. Hmmm…whatever will we do?

But enough about candy, it’s on to the next holiday and as you know, it’s a biggie! For once I am actually planning early (it helps that Thanksgiving comes later in the month than usual—that and the fact that there will probably be at least 25 people at my house for dinner that night, so I’d better be prepared!)

So to get us ready (mostly me) I thought I’d do a little recipe round up and planning session , so I can figure out what I’m making, what my Thanksgiving guests will be bringing and whether we can actually pull this off without renting tables and chairs (which somehow made it less comfortable last year!)

Okay, so here goes:

APPETIZERS

Do you do these at all? My feeling is that there will be so much food that no one needs to fill up before the meal, but still, you don’t want people standing around with a drink and nothing to munch on, so I generally make one of the following and put out chips and maybe a nut mixture or a simple cheese platter

Hot Cheesy Corn Dip

Roasted Scallion Dip

Easy Buttermilk Ranch Dip

Roasted Sweet Potato Salsa

Cowboy Caviar

Sweet ‘N Spicy Pretzel and Nut Mix

Perfect Party Nuts

SALAD

Do you/don’t you? We sometimes don’t, but we always regret it. I love salad, so does my daughter and my mom and others and I think it balances out all the rich, heavy food. I’ve got a bunch here on the blog, but the reality is that we will make our standby of mixed greens, craisins, some sort of chopped nuts, scallions, maybe a chopped up apple or two, freshly grated parm tossed with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. But here are a couple of seasonal ones if you’re looking for something a bit different.

Autumn Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Autumn Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

THE MAIN COURSE

Though I’ve reached quite an advanced age, I have yet to make a turkey on my own. That’s because my mom is a master at it. I know she seasons it the day before and fills it with apples and onion and then uses a cheesecloth basted in lots of butter—Ahhh, it’s stellar (as is her gravy) and I promise, promise to watch and document every step of the process this year, so that I can share it with you guys. Since we’re having a lot of people, she’ll probably do 1 big or 2 small turkeys and a turkey breast. I’ll keep you posted.

I know a lot of people serve lasagne or another sort of pasta (I never have) but I think this mac and cheese will be making an appearance. Certain people who haven’t been home in a long time are requesting it. Plus, I can make it ahead and heat it up on turkey day and any leftovers will most definitely not go to waste!

THE SIDES

This is what the people really want, right? As far as I’m concerned, you can never make enough stuffing and mashed potatoes! Lol! And we need them for leftovers!! Here’s what I’ll definitely be making:

My Mom’s Mashed Potatoes—nothing to it—just boil potatoes in salted water, mash them with a ridiculous amount of butter and keep warm in a pot over low heat so that little browned bits form on the bottom of the pot. To die for yummy!

Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole yup, the marshmallow topped one—gotta have it!

Mom’s Cranberry Jello Mold Seeing a theme here? My mom is a great cook and everyone expects plenty of her classic dishes! She’ll probably make this for me and we’ll likely have two of them due to the size of the crowd and for leftovers.

Wild Mushroom and Brioche Stuffing This has become a new favorite of ours over the last few years, so much so that we have officially cut out the traditional Pepperidge Farm Herb variety. You can buy brioche but I would highly recommend making your own using this recipe. So easy and you can make it several days ahead. Totally worth it! I will triple this for sure!

Savory Butternut Squash Crumble Made this for the first time last year—it was a big hit so I’ll be including it again. Homemade Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce I think homemade is just so much better but some people like the jellied kind, so we’ll probably have both.

Butternut Squash Soup Another of my mom’s specialities. We never had soup on Thanksgiving when I was a kid, but lately we’ve been serving it in small mugs and and people look forward to it.

Some kind of green veggies—one of my sister makes the best string bean dish with lemon and garlic—I will definitely ask her for that.

And maybe I can convince someone else to bring these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sherry Vinaigrette or these Lemony Caramelized Roasted Brussels Sprouts because we’ve gotta be healthy, right? LOL!

Here’s what I’m contemplating because I love them, but I know that there has to be a limit and/or they only work for a small crowd:

Butternut Squash and Spinach Gratin A great vegetarian alternative.

Maple Roasted Parnsips

Auntie Mirrie’s Roast Potatoes If I could make mashed potatoes and these I would ‘cause they are so, so good but it might be tricky with oven space

Sweet Potato & Parsley Salad

Fork-Tined Potatoes

Smashed and Roasted Baked Potatoes

Orange and Yellow Potato Gratin

Spoon Bread Souffléso, so good but don’t make unless you are having a small group—it needs to be eaten right out of the oven and it will be too hard to coordinate with all the other dishes.

Holiday Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots—just in case it’s not Thanksgiving for you without this iconic dish

BREADS

You don’t need a lot of variety here but I kinda think cornbread is a must. Some people I know prefer dinner rolls, so I included my two favs below.

Foolproof Parker House Rolls

One-Pan Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

DESSERTS

If you’ve spent any time around these pages at all, you know how intensely I love the after-the-main-meal offerings, so I’ve split them into categories. I will definitely be making a few pies (no pumpkin ‘cause no one in our crew is a big fan of it), but I always find it nice to have a bar or cookie or two for people who just want a little something and for keeping visitors happy throughout the holiday weekend. I also sometimes will make a simple cake which can double as a breakfast treat too, so I’ve included a few of those.

Pies

Definites

Pecan Pie or Maple Pecan Tart

Apple Crumb Pie or Cranberry-Apple Crumble Pie

Chocolate Caramel Tart—I made this for the first time last year and it was a huge hit.

I’ve also got my eye on something citrusy—will make and share if it’s good—it’ll balance out all the others nicely

Maybes

Triple Chocolate Cream Pie with Oreo Crust

Cranberry Brown Sugar Tart (just looked at the recipe and remembered how good this is, it might have to get added to “definites”, yikes!)

Mississippi Mud Ice Cream Pie-you can’t beat the make-ahead-ability of an ice cream pie!

Bars, Cookies

All these are maybes—I’ll probably change my mind a dozen times before the big day and if my kids make a request, all bets are off!

Luscious Lemon Shortbread Bars

Pumpkin Silk Bars—I hate pumpkin pie but these are yummy!

Supernatural Brownies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies—I’m always looking for an excuse to make these and I need a large crowd around to help eat them up cause I can’t resist!

Jammy Butterballs

Easy Lemon-Almond Biscotti

British Wheatmeal Cookies

Cakes

I always like to have one simple, every-day cake around for the holiday weekend, so it’ll probably be one of these

Olive Oil Lemon Bundt Cake

Cranberry Lemon Bundt Cake

Cranberry Maple Pudding Cake

Coconut Tea Cake

Bishop’s Cake

Caramel Apple Cake

That’s about it for now. Hope this doesn’t overwhelm you. For me, seeing it all on one page, calms me down and makes it more manageable. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some new recipes that I think would be great for the holiday too and of course, I’d love to have you share any of your favorite recipes/traditions/advice, so keep ‘em coming. Have a great rest of the weekend and here’s to the kickoff of a wonderful holiday season!!xoxo

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

49 Gluten Free Crockpot Recipes for Summer

New blog post! I don't know about you, but during hot summer days, I'm not a big fan of turning on the oven. But a girl's gotta eat...which is where the crockpot comes in! Whether you're cooking for one like me or trying to find easy summer dinner recipes for family, a crockpot can definitely come in handy. That's why this latest summer recipe roundup is alll about summer crockpot meals that will help you create delicious summer dinners (and desserts) that everyone will enjoy...even if they don't need to eat gluten free.

So whether you're looking for keto summer recipes, gluten free desserts that will blow everyone away or just an easy summer dinner for the fam, this roundup has some delectable ideas for you to try!

Summer Crockpot Dinner Recipes

1. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore (Low Carb, Keto, Paleo) - Joyfilled Eats

Combine juicy chicken with flavorful tomatoes, onions, peppers and a light sauce, and you have a winning one-dish meal.

2. Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken (Low Carb) - Wholesome Yum 

This chicken dinner recipe is low carb, high in flavor and only takes 15 minutes to prep before you put it in the slow cooker.

3. Slow Cooker Short Ribs - A Calculated Whisk 

Service these slow cooker short ribs with a homemade paleo flatbread with a little cilantro.

4. Cuban Pork, or Lechón (Keto) - Fit to Serve Group

Serve this Cuban pork with some cauliflower rice for an easy, tasty and keto dinner.

5. Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut Crockpot Meal (Mostly Paleo) - Mom Eats Paleo

If you're looking for an entirely paleo summer dinner, replace the red potatoes with sweet potatoes or parsnips. Otherwise, prepare to enjoy a paleo-ish Polish favorite. 

6. Crockpot Enchilada Stacks (Vegan Option) - Casey the College Celiac

If you're craving the cheesy goodness of enchiladas without having to turn on the oven, these enchilada stacks are my go-to fave! Plus, you can easily use my homemade vegan cheese sauce and shredded vegan cheese to make this dairy free as well.

7. Allspice, Orange And Lemon Crockpot Chicken Thighs (Low Carb) - Recipes From a Pantry

I don't know about you, but I think lemon and orange make ANY protein automatically 1000% better.

8. Crockpot Ranch Chicken - Diabetes Strong

If you love ranch but also love low carb summer recipes, this crockpot ranch chicken is exactly what you need. Plus, it includes a recipe for homemade ranch dressing to use in the bake.

9. Brown Sugar & Balsamic Slow Cooker Chicken - Powered By Mom 

Cooking potatoes and vegetables with your chicken means that you have a balanced and delicious meal by the time your food is ready to take out of the crockpot. Just make sure whatever beef broth you use is gluten free.

10. Crockpot French Onion Dip & Chips Recipe - Recipe This

Soft cheese, Greek yogurt, white wine and plenty of onion and garlic combine to create this tasty dip.

11. Crockpot Tacos with Slow Cooker Ground Beef (Low Carb) - Low Carb Yum

Tacos are a summer classic, and you can't go wrong with ones made using a homemade low carb taco seasoning.

12. Slow Cooker Duck Confit with Pomegranate Molasses (Grain Free) - Emma Eats and Explores 

If you're throwing a summer party and want a dinner dish that will seriously blow everyone away, this duck confit is the perfect choice! The best part? It looks super time-intensive, but the slow-cooker actually does most of the work. You just have to panfry the duck for five minutes at the very end.1

13. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos - This Mama Cooks

Once you cook the pulled pork, you can use them in gluten free tacos or in a variety of other dishes, from a breakfast hash to sandwiches to soup.

14. Mama Z's Easy Crockpot Lasagna (Dairy Free Option) - Natural Living Family

A classic Italian dish just got a delicious and allergy friendly makeover...

15. Easy Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork - Foodal

Lots of fresh citrus takes this pulled pork recipe to the next level.

16. Complete Chicken Dinner in a Crockpot - My Cultured Palate

There's nothing like coming home (or walking in the kitchen) and knowing your whole dinner is already warm and ready! As always, make sure whatever broth and spices you use are gluten free.

17. Slow Cooker Chili with Mango (Vegan) - Mama Likes to Cook

Vegan chili gets a tropical, summery twist thanks to mango, orange and lime.

18. Secretly Superfood-Packed Slow Cooker Mac N' Cheese (Vegan) - Casey the College Celiac 

No one will ever guess that this gluten free and vegan mac n' cheese is loaded with superfoods, like turmeric!

19. Slow-Cooked Chicken Italian - Fab Food 4 All 

If you're craving lasagna but want something a little lighter, this Italian chicken recipe - full of veggies and Italian spices - is guaranteed to be one of the best summer dinner recipes for you to try.

20. Healthy Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Carnitas - Food Meanderings

This Mexican-version of pulled pork is full of grilled pineapple, red onion and cilantro for a spicy, fresh twist on a BBQ classic.

21. Rotisserie-Style Shredded Chicken (Dairy Free) - Mama Knows Gluten Free

And if pulled pork ain't your thang, this shredded chicken is the perfect alternative!

22. Garlic Balsamic Pork - Jonesin' For a Taste

Pair gluten free balsamic vinegar with garlic and a few other spices for some massively flavorful pork - and some delicious summer crockpot meals!

23. Beef and Broccoli Bowl Recipe (Dairy Free) - Deliciously Plated 

Excuse me as I majorly drooool over that sauce...

24. Whole30 Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs - Good for You Gluten Free 

Chicken thighs get an upgrade from Picante sauce, olives and - surprise! - raisins.

25. Tex-Mex Chicken Stew - Ann's Entitled Life

Serve this crockpot chicken on its own, over rice or with gluten free cornbread for a super flavorful summer meal.

26. Easy Five-Ingredient Slow Cooker Pulled Pork - Fearless Dining

For those nights when you really need an easy dinner. Use the pulled pork to make tacos, sliders, chili, sandwiches and more!

27. Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma (Paleo, Whole 30 & Low Carb Options) - A Clean Bake

You only have to do twenty minutes of prep to enjoy a paleo chicken dinner with plenty of Middle Eastern flavor.

28. Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken - Savory Lotus

If you're bored of regular chicken, spice up your summer crockpot meals with this Moroccan recipe.

29. Crockpot Mexican Shredded Beef Taco - Eating on a Dime 

Taco 'bout delicious! ;)

30. Slow Cooker Paleo Chicken Pho With Zoodles (Whole 30, AIP) - Wicked Spatula 

Personally, I often crave hot soup during the summer...and this is a great way to take advantage of my favorite summer produce (aka, zucchini!)

31. Ribs with Apple BBQ Sauce - Family, Food and Travel

This might turn into my new favorite way to enjoy applesauce...

32. Slow Cooker Pineapple Ham - Consumer Queen

Because is there ever a bad time in the year to enjoy fresh ham?!?

33. Slow Cooker Short Ribs with Korean BBQ Sauce - Plating Pixels 

I was sold at BBQ sauce...and then I saw the pictures. If this isn't the definition of foodporn, I don't know what is ;)

34. Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs with Butternut Squash and Spinach (Whole 30) - Mom Foodie

Even if you're not following a Whole 30 diet, this chicken dinner is a major winner.

35. Spinach and Artichoke Dip (Dairy Free) - A Calculated Whisk 

Who knew that gluten free cashews and artichoke hearts could turn into the perfect dreamy, dairy free dip?

36. White Chicken Chili (Dairy Free Option, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free) - Raia's Recipes

I don't know about you, but chili is a year-round crockpot recipe in my house. And if it isn't already in yours, this gluten free chili could convert you!

37. Baked Potatoes in the Crockpot (Dairy Free) - My Cultured Palate

If you've never made baked potatoes in a slow cooker before, this is your sign to try!

38. Grandbob's Vegetable Soup (Paleo, Vegan Option) - Pink Fortitude

Frozen vegetables make this summer family dinner super easy to whip up.

39. Beef Sirloin Tips (Dairy Free, Paleo Friendly) - Gluten Free Palate

The best topping ever for mashed regular or sweet potatoes!

40. Slow Cooker Pork Tacos in a Bowl - Attainable, Sustainable

Serve this tender pork roast in a bowl or with a gluten free tortilla.

41. Shredded Chile Chicken - Nibble and Dine

Also known as the opposite of bland, dry chicken.

42. Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato Dinner (Dairy Free) - The Magical Slow Cooker

Because sometimes, nothing hits the spot like some tasty chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner!

43. Slow Cooked Lamb Rogan Josh (Grain Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Refined Sugar Free) - Emma Eats and Explores

I've never cooked with lamb before, but the pictures of this curry have me adding it to my bucket list!

Gluten Free Crockpot Dessert Recipes

44. Pumpkin Pie Pudding - My Cultured Palate

I'm a pumpkin all time of the year kind of girl...and I bet this pudding could make any pumpkin doubter feel the same way!

45. Slow Cooker Mixed Berry Cobbler (Paleo) - Wicked Spatula 

No one will ever believe this cobbler is paleo - and cooked in the slow cooker!

46. Apple Cobbler (Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Paleo, Sugar Free) - Thirty Something Supermom 

You can have your apple pie AND eat it in a cool kitchen, too! ;)

47. Slow Cooker Granola (Keto Granola, Low Carb, Grain Free) - Recipes From a Pantry

Mix some gluten free nuts and seeds with shredded coconut, spices and a few other ingredients for an easy breakfast or dessert you can leave cooking in the crockpot.

48. Crockpot Chocolate Fudge - From Val's Kitchen

For all my fellow chocoholics out there...

49. Peach Blueberry Cobbler - Boulder Locavore 

Have a gluten free cake mix you want to use up without turning on the oven? Use it to make a delicious fruit cobbler. GENIUS!

My Wish For You This Summer...

That you:

Eat more of the foods you really like. Aren't afraid to experiment in the kitchen with a new recipe or a unique ingredient. Enjoy some foods that fuel your body and others that fuel your soul. 

And I hope this round-up of easy summer crockpot recipes gives you some delicious ways to check off all those boxes!

What is one of your favorite meals to eat during summer? Tell me in the comments!

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Mama Kim Sauna Mee Located At Tanjung Tokong, Penang

Penang Malaysia news.

One additional post by What2seeonline.com. In my opinion 1 of the most popular generators of information and facts you can find.

With the motto “Where Healthy is Yummy”, Mama Kim Sauna Mee is the place for everyone to experience a nutritious healthy meal in Penang. Located at the junction of Jalan Tanjung Tokong and Jalan Pantai Molek, the eatery offers a casual atmosphere and a menu that’s easy to order from.

The menu brings out Asian, Western and local dishes prepared with less salt, with no MSG, no white sugar and no white flour. Vegetables take center stage, and only brown rice is used!

One of Mama Kim’s highlights is the Sauna Mee 桑拿面, with choices of Fish Sauna Mee with fish soup, or Vegetarian Sauna Mee with vegetarian soup. Both offer options of brown rice, pumpkin noodles, and mushroom rice noodles.

The bowl of Sauna Mee arrived in a special heated hot stone bowl, with a balanced combination of more than five healthy colours of vegetables. Slow-cooked soup (refillable) is poured onto the noodles upon serving. The warming dish is best savored with their homemade chili sauce and fried garlic.

Fish Sauna Mee

The Fried Wild Mushroom Fried Rice 野菌炒饭 is a comfort fare, with a variety of mushrooms, carrot, and vegetables whipped up with a pleasing, smoky taste. The accompaniment is a simple salad, a combination of shredded purple and white cabbage, carrot, and corn. Chili padi in light soy sauce gives the dish a spicy kick.

Wild mushroom fried rice RM11.90

Porridge is a simple and light dish to warm the stomach. At Mama Kim, enjoy the comforting choices of creamy black and green porridge, brighten up with savory salty preserved accompaniments.

Black porridge (vege) RM7.50

Green porridge (vege) RM7.50

Mama Kim also puts together a kids menu with six choices. Small eaters can try choices of herbal chicken chop (RM9.90) and the tomato baked fish rice (RM10). The two dishes are essentially smaller versions from the full sized order.

The chicken chop is well executed especially when it comes to the accompanying sauce and creamy boiled potatoes.

Kids menu – herbal chicken chop RM9.90

Nourishing desserts are also made in-house and there’s a total of three. All are priced below seven ringgit and choices include black sesame, lo hon koa and the lotus crystal pear. The lotus crystal pear dessert is utterly delightful but the black sesame dessert offers only mild nuttiness.

   Lotus crystal pear dessert RM6.50

Black sesame dessert – not as nutty and aromatic as I expected

In addition to fresh drinks like lemongrass tea, pineapple, and fruit tea, you can also order a cup of Mama Kim Coffee. Have a sip of the local coffee with a bite of the complimentary coconut biscuit. And of course, diehard coconut biscuit fans can buy the biscuit at the eatery too.

Pineapple juice

Mama Kim Coffee with complimentary coconut biscuits

The eatery is open daily from 8am to 10pm. For those waking up early, the breakfast menu offers healthy good deals. Choose between the soup noodles, fried noodles or porridge, with prices starting from RM3.90 to RM7.50.

Mama Kim Sauna Mee 2 Jalan Pantai Molek 10470 Tanjung Tokong Penang

Tel: 04 – 8991163

First seen on this site: What2seeonline.com

Hope you valued the content that they provided. You’ll find quite similar articles or blog posts on our main website: https://www.whatsonpenang.com/

Leave me your feedback just below, share a short comment and let us know which topics you would like covered in our blog posts.

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New Post has been published on Health bolt

New Post has been published on http://www.healthbolt.net/cooking/healthy-hands-cooking-reviews/

Healthy Hands Cooking Reviews

Contents

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Healthy meal prep cookbook.

Lifestyle … physician

Helps people live

Vegetable free juicing

Years.healthy homestyle cooking features

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[daydreamingnightdrinking]

Wheatfields with Crows

Vincent van Gogh, 1890.

It’s been a while.

I know, I know. I’m regressing back to the state where I’m about to put “writing” inside a drawer that I’ll open once in a blue moon. I’m trying not to do that, because I genuinely enjoy the time that I spend typing away on the keyboard. It’s decompressing in a sense. Ironically, I thought I wouldn’t have anything to say prior to writing anything, but it turned out that it was just something that I needed to do for the familiarity.

I’ve written so much about one experiences that I’ve decided to divide my travel posts into different parts, starting with this one on a special dinner with my friends.

I’ve been a lot more active recently in terms of being a nomad, and so about three weeks ago, I’ve had the opportunity to meet up with my friends at the one and only Las Vegas. It’s funny, because I’ve coordinated the trip with them since March, and at that time we thought that the end of October is a hefty distance away.

Time seemed to fly within a blink of an eye.

(Note: It was also the first time I’ve been to Vegas during Halloween, but since it landed on a weekday, I was more or less exploring on my own. That explains the painting I’ve selected from Van Gogh.)

Caesar’s Palace: Restaurant Guy Savoy

Ever since two years ago, my friend and I have had an ongoing conversation about going to Guy Savoy’s restaurant…one day. It happened when I was asking her for Las Vegas restaurant recommendations. She is the type of person anyone would call a fine dining connoisseur, but definitely not in a snobbish way. She’s just pretty passionate about food, making her the ultimate source to ask for recommendations.

On the other hand, we’ve both been to Joël Robuchon (@ MGM Las Vegas) as well as é by José Andrés (@ Cosmopolitan Las Vegas) so it was an overall great experience to explore somewhere new with someone I adore. I should really write about those two restaurants one day, too, as they were fantastic as well.

Therefore, when we finally get to visit Guy Savoy on the 28th of October (thanks, iPhone album) – it was appropriate to get the Prestige Tasting Menu. I think all of the individual dishes deserve its own picture, so I’m going to post that instead of bundle all of them together to do them as much justice as I can.

Amuse-bouche (Foie Gras)

Amuse-bouche (Salmon)

French butter (imported, looks like ice cream)

Bread cart (freshly made daily)

Amuse-bouche and carbs. Lots of them. They were freshly made so I ate a lot.

Without further ado, here is the start of a wonderful and filling menu (that might be my own problem though):

Kushi Oyster Concassée, Lemon and Seaweed Granité

I’m a huge fan of oysters – and in recent years, raw ones, even though I don’t know much about them yet. Raw oysters and lemon is a match made in heaven, and the seaweed gives it an additional texture. I may be biased, but it’s a good start.

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Osetra Caviar, Crab Salad and Heirloom Tomato Gelée

Honestly, I can’t really tell the difference between caviar quality, but I’m pretty sure the restaurant uses finer caviar. It’s still quite a light dish that introduces more flavors and a great successor to the oyster. I’ve decided to display three photos, because of the intricate detail that goes into producing the dish. The red nest on the top is made out of beets (lightly fried, if I remember correctly), and meshes well with the crab, caviar, and tomato once it softens with the liquid; it also provides more texture within the dish.

The most impressive detail of this dish was that the liquid the waiter poured down the dish was actually salt water from the sea if I remember correctly. I’m sure they’ve purified it somehow. The octopus was cooked perfectly – it wasn’t too tough to chew, and the additional croquettes add an extra crunch to it. Not to mention it was one of the most visually stimulating dishes from the entire menu.

Salmon Iceberg

My friends and I were trying to figure out the concept of this dish after it has been placed before us. The waiter rolled the cart over to us, placed the salmon on a huge slab of ice, and told us that the idea behind this dish is to play with extreme temperatures. The salmon is placed on ice at first, then on individual dishes with stock poured over it to heat it up.

When we ate it, the salmon wasn’t fully cooked inside (which was completely fine for us, as we all like Japanese food), which explains the disclaimer on the website menu. I’m still not too sure about the entire idea behind it, but the salmon was quite fresh and the stock was sweet.

  Red Mullet, Fregula Sarda and Jus Corsé

This was the turning point for me. The dishes were getting stronger as evidenced in the jus – it was much thicker than the stock with the salmon, and the crisps on the top were the red mullet scales. If I remember correctly, the vegetable below the fish was spinach, and the fregula sarda (a type of round pellet pasta) was al dente.

As usual, everything went well together – whether it’s regarding texture or taste wise.

Seared Foie Gras and Unagi Napoleon, Cherry Extraction and Green Almond

Yikes. There’s no need for further introduction for foie gras – albeit its controversial nature. Unagi is the Japanese word for “eel”. I have to admit, I’ve never had a dish combination with foie gras and eel, both on the heavier side of the palette. The cherry extraction and green almond counteracts the oil and overwhelming greasiness that one gets when he / she takes the first bite out of foie gras.

Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup, Toasted Mushroom Brioche, and Black Truffle Butter

This was the second time I’ve had artichoke in the entirety of my life, so I can’t say I’m a good judge of it. However, oh my goodness – the biroche had the perfect crunch, and went well with the thick soup (think: pumpkin soup consistency). The black truffle wasn’t the only dominating flavor, and I have to say that the two make a pretty good duo.

Hazelnut Crusted Sweetbread, Summer Squash Variation and Roasted Veal Jus

If I were to pick, this would probably be one of the least memorable dishes in Guy Savoy. It’s not because it wasn’t good – everything was exquisite in the restaurant, but it is because of my own unfamiliarity for the ingredients that were used to create this dish.

The sweetbread provides an extra type of “crunch” to it, although I wasn’t aware of what it was until I was doing my research and searching for it for more accuracy of the dish. It’s not a big deal though, because I’m more or less and adventurous eater. The hazelnut provided a sweeter taste to it, balanced out with the squash and veal.

Pluma de Bellota Iberico, Textures of Corn, Basil, and Roasted Jus

Oh, Iberico. I was already in love when I saw that on the menu, but after further research, “Pluma de Bellota Iberico” is actually a type of cut from the pork, which is located at the end of the loin, and is one of the juicer parts of the meat.

What is so special about Iberico pork is that this type of pigs eat sweet acorns and grasses as their main diet, and they also get to roam around the range freely. This results in its unique texture and flavor as well as its marbling.

Overall, the pork, combined with the jus and sauce on the side was robust in flavor, and the fried slice of corn on the top added the crunch that accompanied well.

Petit Basque Cheese, Textures of Pear and Saffron

The waiter recommended that we eat the entirety of the dish in one singular bite for the flavor. It was a huge bite, with a serious crunchy texture on the outside along with softness inside (think: fondue thickness). I can’t really recall any flavor but cheese.

“From Beet to Sweet”

Beet lovers, rejoice. This was a dish full of beets, and perhaps a transition of savory to sweet. On the side there were diced and fried beets, and beet mousse enclosed within candied beets.

I think this dish was innovative and highly focused on beets. It was creative, and the presentation was beautiful and impressive. Not so impressive for one of my friends who really isn’t a huge fan of beets though.

In terms of taste, it was great, but not my favorite out of the entire menu as it was focused on one singular ingredient.

Fig, Mediterranean Flavors

Here’s another ingredient I’m not familiar with. Taiwan isn’t a place that has a lot of figs, and the ones that I’ve had here that were grown locally were pretty much tasteless. The local figs here are basically watery sacs over here, so I’m pretty much indifferent about them.

However – the dessert had a mixture of sweet and tartness, so it wasn’t sickly sweet. I’ve come to realize and accept the fact that my sweet and salty tolerances are declining (or maybe my taste is just getting more and more refined), so this is a delicate balance.

Dry Age Pineapple, Baked in Clay, Scent of Lemongrass, Mellowest Aloe Vera

This one is pretty neat, as one of the pastry chefs came to our table to explain the dessert while working on its plating.

What the restaurant has done was to basically dry age the pineapple (like how beef would be dry aged), and the size of the pieces as shown above were reduced severely due to dehydration. This resulted in bite sized, flavor packed pineapple squares. The chef was breaking open a pineapple shaped clay mold (if I remember correctly) to reveal the pineapple we were about to eat.

To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of eating pineapple by itself because of the stinging sensation it brings my tongue whenever I try them. There is a reason behind the “sting”; pineapples have an enzyme that breaks down called “bromelain” that breaks down protein (meaning it digests protein). This explains that there’s that feeling on the tongue whenever one eats too much pineapple. It also explains why pineapple is used as meat tenderizer as a culinary ingredient.

Again, I dug in (even though I was super full by that time) and finished the entire plate. Perhaps it was the dry age – the pineapple provided the tart with a smudge of sweetness that paired well with the ice cream. It was a refreshing dessert.

Cocoa “Pie”

I can’t say “no” to chocolate, even though I was so stuffed I could just pass out from food coma then.

The chocolate flakes on the top balances the sweetness of the pie on the bottom with a dash of bitter, which would’ve gone really well with the coffee and tea that the restaurant offered, but we were all planning to drink later, so we politely declined.

Dessert Cart: Fall (Halloween) Macarons 

Last but not least, despite having a stomach that was about to burst, we were offered desserts on the cart. There was a hefty selection of freshly baked and made dessert, but ultimately I picked my favorite macarons to try, especially because it was close to Halloween and I do like seasonal desserts.

I guess I can save the others for next time with the same company or different.

The jack-o’-lantern looking macaron was of course, pumpkin flavored, and the cobweb black macaron was sesame flavored (I believe…? I forgot, really). They were both tasty, but I preferred the pumpkin flavored more as it was a flavor that I’ve never had.

So, was the restaurant worth the price tag?

I suppose it really depends on the person.

Personally, I am more than okay with spending money on experiences, whether it’s by myself or with my loved ones, so in my opinion, I’d say this meal was worth every penny spent. I also think that my palette has evolved throughout the past couple of years by getting the opportunity to travel and experience new cuisines – and not just fine dining, but also street food.

The ingredients, effort, and service was impeccable, not to mention the decor and ambiance of the restaurant.

I haven’t had the opportunity to try to wine tasting, but I would do so next time, as when we were offered the wine list, the server rolled a cart over with what looked like a dictionary or an encyclopedia on it. I can’t imagine how the list would be.

This is definitely somewhere I’d look forward to visit some other time in the future.

Food & Travel: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. (Part I – Fine Dining) Wheatfields with Crows Vincent van Gogh, 1890. It's been a while. I know, I know. I'm regressing back to the state where I'm about to put "writing" inside a drawer that I'll open once in a blue moon.

[beejuboxes]

TokyoTreat

$25 – $35 per month

Free worldwide shipping from Tokyo

TokyoTreat is a monthly Japanese snack subscription box shipped straight from Tokyo. They recently revamped their subscription service, and they now offer two sizes. There’s the Classic for $22.50-$25 and the Premium for $31.50-$35. (The cheaper prices are for prepaid plans.) TokyoTreat curates a box of fun, seasonal snacks with the aim to share their love of Japanese treats.

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For October 2018 the theme is “Trick or Tokyo Treat,” so all the snacks are centered around a Halloween theme. Just glancing at the contents, it feels very spooky. There’s lots of oranges, blacks, and purples in the packaging of the snacks. There’s both a physical booklet and an online zine with information about the snacks, Japanese culture, contents, etc. They also just started a new loyalty program! It’s streak-based, meaning the longer you subscribe the more points, discounts, and rewards you can earn.

The Premium Box includes 12 full sized items: 4 popular Japanese snacks, 4 sharable packs, 2 dagashi, 1 DIY kit, and 1 kinosei (health-benefit) snack. The Premium box includes 17 full sized items: 5 popular snacks, 1 party pack, 4 sharable packs, 3 dagashi, 1 Anime snack, 1 DIY kit, 1 kinosei snack, and 1 Japanese drink. It’s rare to get seasonal Japanese drinks outside of Japan, so that’s always one of my favorite items.  There is also a smaller box available, called the “Classic Box.”

I’m reviewing the Premium Box, and items marked with an asterisk* are exclusive to the Premium Box. Also, my cat decided to nap right on the cloth I used to take photos, so she’s making an appearance in this review!

Caramel Pudding Kit Kats *

This month’s party pack is full of a new type of Kit Kat. The caramel flavor is light while the pudding flavor is creamy and sweet. It’s not the most complex flavor, but it’s something I think most people will enjoy! I also like that the packages have little sign language lessons on them.

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Takoyaki Ramune *

This month’s drink is a wild one—it’s takoyaki flavored soda. Takoyaki are a ball-shaped savory food consisting of a piece of octopus inside a ball of batter cooked in a special pan and typically topped with bonito flakes, pickled ginger, and green onion. So, sounds like a tasty soda, right? While I get that this soda is the “trick” part of “trick or treat,” I’m on the fence. I typically enjoy when snack boxes include a few strong/wacky flavors, but I feel like a lot of people are going to take a sip and then pour out the rest. It’s not as bad as I was expecting, but I couldn’t drink more than one gulp. It tastes like a sweet okonomiyaki sauce—sort of a thick, brown sauce made with ketchup, Worcestershire, and oyster sauce.

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Tongari Corn Salted Caramel *

This snack’s information in the booklet is the information from last month’s plum chips! Oops! But, you can tell from the packaging and the online zine that this snack is a salty-sweet corn chip snack. It’s a salted caramel flavor, but the sweetness is a bit overpowered by the saltiness of the corn. It’s still yummy, but it’d be extra good with a bit more sweetness to balance out the corn.

Winnie the Pooh Honey & Chocolate Chip Cookies *

These two packs of cookies have a cute Winnie the Pooh Halloween theme! One pack is chocolate chip cookies and the other is a honey wafer cookie. Both taste good, but I think the honey one is my favorite! It tastes like a Vanilla Wafer made with honey.

Butter Cream Roll Cake *

The last premium-exclusive item is a little roll cake. It’s a yellow cake rolled with a butter cream. For a packaged cake, it’s not bad—the texture of the cream is smooth, and the flavor is light.

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Sanrio Halloween Papiro

This snack comes in a cute little Halloween box decorated with Sanrio characters. Inside there’s a bag of individually wrapped “papiro.” They’re little chocolate rolled cookies filled with almond chocolate cream. The cookie is quite crunchy with a rich chocolate flavor, but I don’t really taste any almond.

Halloween Chupa Chups Lollipop

This Halloween-themed Chupa Chups is half strawberry and half lime. I really like the combination of sweet and a bit of sourness! The skull shape is fun too.

Mochitaro Salt Rice Puffs

This little pack contains small puffed rice crackers lightly salted. They’re quite soft and offer a clean, savory taste. They almost remind me of popcorn! They’d be great to munch on during a scary movie.

Halloween Shrimp Crackers

Another savory snack, these shrimp crackers got a Halloween makeover. I’m not a fan of shrimp, so I’ll pass these along to a friend, but I like the cute packaging and that they included a seafood flavor this month!

Halloween Poteko Pumpkin Gratin

This little pyramid packs are pumpkin gratin flavored rings. They’re really good! They’re salty with a hint of sweetness from the pumpkin. The packages have little English lessons for Halloween on them too, which is cute.

Pumpkin Wheat Puffs Share Pack

Another pumpkin snack, these are sweet wheat puffs. There’s a little earthiness from the pumpkin. They melt in your mouth immediately–the texture of this type of snack isn’t my favorite, but that’s just a personal preference. The Halloween packaging is cute, which I appreciate.

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Candy Apple DIY Kit

This month’s DIY kit is one I’ve received from snack boxes a few times, but I’m happy to get it again! This kit is simple to do and tastes really good! The chewy apple candies used as the base of the DIY have a strong apple flavor, and it’s fun to dip them in the “glaze” and then in the sprinkles! It’s perfect for the Halloween theme too.

Balance Mini-Cake Bar

This month’s kinosei (health benefit) treat is this little balanced snack bar. There’s 10 different vitamins and minerals in this cheesecake flavored bar. In this dense bar the cheesecake flavor is there, but it’s subtle.

Halloween Umaibo Corn Potage

The last item is the ever-present Umaibo in the classic corn potage flavor. The packaging is dressed up for Halloween, which is cute. The puffed corn snack has a savory and salty corn soup flavor, which I always enjoy.

My favorites this month were the Halloween Chupa Chups Lollipop, Mochitaro Salt Rice Puffs, and the Candy Apple DIY Kit. The Takoyaki soda is a risky choice. While wacky flavors can be fun, this one does feel like a waste. It’s interesting to try a sip, but we’re just going to dump the rest. I imagine most subscribers will do something similar. I feel like the flavors of the snacks this month weren’t as awesome, but I appreciated that they really stuck to the Halloween theme. As always, make sure to check out their social media for contests, coupons, and sneak peaks of upcoming boxes. I’m excited that they’ve started their new “Streaks” loyalty program as well.

If you want to get your own Classic or Premium box, you can do so here. Prices range from $25 – $35 per month and boxes are shipped from Tokyo through Japan Post. Shipping is free worldwide! If you want to receive the October box, make sure to subscribe by the end of September!

  PR sample. All opinions are my own, and no compensation was received for this review. Affiliate links are used.

TokyoTreat – October 2018 Review TokyoTreat $25 – $35 per month Free worldwide shipping from Tokyo

[keijay-blog]

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The Easiest Way to Make Cauliflower Rice

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Lindsay D. MattisonApril 29, 2018

After testing a box grater, blender, and food processor, we have a favorite way to rice cauliflower that’s just as good as the pre-made cauliflower rice at the grocery store!

Shutterstock / AS Food studio

I’m a total carboholic, so going low-carb or no-carb is extremely difficult for me. It’s mostly a texture thing—I love biting down into a chewy pizza crust or a bowl filled with brown rice. So, when I read about using cauliflower as a rice replacement, I was intrigued. I could sneak an extra serving of vegetables into my meal while still getting a crunchy rice-like texture. The only problem: Ricing cauliflower sounded like it would take a lot of time…not to mention the mess I imagined it making. I looked into the pre-made bags of cauliflower rice but couldn’t justify spending $3 to $5 a pound when the heads cost just $1.50 a pound.

(Shopping on a budget? These family dinners serve four for just under $10.)

A quick Google search yielded three easy ways to make cauliflower rice at home, and I was determined to test them all. I bought a few heads and set about finding the quickest, easiest, and cleanest way to rice cauliflower.

The Method

I’m clearly not the only person who wants to rice cauliflower at home, because there are a ton of resources out there. Some people do it by hand using a chef’s knife, but I threw that method out. It doesn’t yield uniform, rice-shaped cauliflower, and I was looking for a method that would mimic the pre-bagged stuff. The remaining popular ways—box grater, blender, and food processor—totally qualified, so I bought some cauliflower and went to work. After performing the tests, here’s how each method fared.

Ricing Cauliflower

Method 1: Box Grater

How to make it: Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and cut the head into large pieces. Hold the florets by the stem and push them one-by-one across a box grater with medium-sized holes.

My take: This made a mess! It was like cauliflower-pocolypse on my kitchen counters. Small pieces of cauliflower flew everywhere as I grated (even though I was trying really hard to be tidy). It also was pretty hard work, took a long time, and yielded some inconsistently sized rice.

Method 2: Blender

How to make it: Remove the steam and leaves from the cauliflower and chop the florets into small pieces. Place the chopped cauliflower into the blender and cover it with water. Don’t fill past the MAX FILL line—you may have to work in batches. Pulse a few times until the cauliflower breaks down into small granules that resemble rice. Drain the cauliflower through a fine mesh strainer and discard the water.

My take: I almost made soup with the first batch because I tried using the low setting on my high-powered Vitamix blender! I corrected the mistake on the second batch and used short pulses instead. That gave me more control and yielded some nicely riced cauliflower. I had to dirty an additional dish with this method—the mesh strainer—but, luckily, blenders are the easiest appliance to clean in the kitchen. All in all, this method worked out pretty well (although the rice was a bit soggy).

Method 3: Food Processor

How to make it: Remove the stem and leaves from the cauliflower and chop the florets into very small, 1-inch pieces. Working in batches if needed, pulse the florets in the food processor until the cauliflower has broken down into small granules that resemble rice. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to push the larger florets into the blade.

My take: Really, I had nothing to complain about with this method. Within seconds, I had pulsed the cauliflower into very uniform, tiny cubes of “rice.” It’s always a bit of a pain to clean the food processor, but that’s what dishwashers are for!

The Results

The food processor was easily the fastest and most consistent method. The blender came in a close second, but the added water created excess moisture which made the rice harder to squeeze out later. While the box grater definitely worked, the pieces were less uniform and it created an absolute mess in the kitchen—this would be my last choice method in the future.

The Takeaways

While all of the methods certainly took more time than dumping out a bag of pre-made cauliflower rice, making the rice from scratch really wasn’t as much work or cleanup as I imagined it would be. Using the food processor and blender methods, it only took me about 10 minutes total (including cleanup). Since I’m in a budget shopping mode, that’s certainly worth the grocery store savings for me!

Once you have your rice, you can enjoy it raw, saute it oil or butter on the stove top, or process it for cauliflower crust. Check out our favorite cauliflower rice recipes, including these gluten-free cheesy cauliflower breadsticks or a cheesy, garlicky side of rice.

More Awesome Cauliflower Recipes

Cauliflower Soup

Other cauliflower soup recipes I’ve tried have lacked in flavor, but this cheesy recipe packs a tasty punch! We like it with hot pepper sauce, as an extra touch. —Debbie Ohlhausen, Chilliwack, British Columbia

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Smoky Cauliflower

The smoked Spanish paprika gives a simple side of roasted cauliflower extra depth. This is definitely a favorite. —Juliette Mulholland, Corvallis, Oregon

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Mashed Cauliflower au Gratin

Unless someone tells you, you might not know you’re eating cauliflower. But if you do like cauliflower, you’ll love this version. It’s buttery, cheesy, creamy and wow. —Sandie Parker, Elk Rapids, Michigan

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Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower Gratin

I combined two of my favorite vegetables in this creamy gratin to create a family-friendly dish that fits right into your busy schedule. Topped with crunchy Panko bread crumbs and savory Italian cheeses, you’ll have this comforting side on the table in under an hour. —Mrs. Priscilla Gilbert, Indian Harbour Beach, Florida

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Faux Potato Salad

Cauliflower in potato salad? You bet, along with carrots, olives and other crunchy surprises. —Mike Schulz, Tawas City, Michigan

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Browned Butter Roasted Cauliflower

When I was growing up, my mother (who insists on loving some of the least popular vegetables) always raved about how deliciously sweet and tender cauliflower can be. Here, the briny capers, lemon juice and sweet raisins allow the caramelized, nutty cauliflower to shine. —Gina Myers, Spokane, Washington

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Veggie Macaroni & Cheese

This creamy mac ‘n’ cheese definitely doesn’t come from a box! Fresh veggies add crunch and color and will leave everyone saying, “More, please!” —Marsha Morril, Harrisburg, Oregon

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Christmas Cauliflower Casserole

This creamy casserole is filled with tender cauliflower and topped with a sprinkling of crispy herb stuffing. It’s become a holiday classic that appeals to both kids and adults in our family. —Carol Rex, Ocala, Florida

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Broccoli-Cauliflower Cheese Bake

Creamy mozzarella and Swiss cheeses create the base for these tasty veggies, while a hint of cayenne pepper gives them a kick guests will adore. —Jenn Tidwell, Fair Oaks, California

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower

My grandkids were never huge fans of cauliflower, but the bacon makes a big difference in this dish. They like it even more with golden cauliflower instead of white. — Patricia Hudson, Riverview, Florida

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Mashed Cauliflower with Parmesan

I couldn’t shake my mashed potato habit, until I tried mashed cauliflower with a similar consistency. I started making my own, and my family loves it. —Meredith Howard, Franklin, Kentucky

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Cauliflower Popcorn

Roasting cauliflower transforms it into a delectable snack. Your family will eat it up just like it’s popcorn. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Pumpkin & Cauliflower Garlic Mash

I wanted healthy alternatives to my family’s favorite recipes. Pumpkin, cauliflower and thyme make an amazing dish. You’ll never miss those plain old mashed potatoes. —Kari Wheaton, South Beloit, Illinois

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Roasted Curried Chickpeas and Cauliflower

When there’s not much time to cook, try roasting potatoes and cauliflower with chickpeas for a warm-you-up dinner. Add chicken or tofu to the sheet pan if you like. —Pam Correll, Brockport, Pennsylvania

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Cream of Cauliflower Soup

This mildly cheesy cauliflower soup is a favorite of mine. I make it often in summer, although it’s good anytime. —Karen Brown, West Lafayette, Ohio

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Giardiniera

Sweet and tangy, this Italian condiment is packed with peppers, cauliflower, carrots and other crisp-tender veggies. It’s perfect to offer alongside pickles or olives on a relish tray. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower

When we make a time-consuming entree, we also do a quick broccoli and cauliflower side. The veggies are a good fit when you’re watching calories. —Debra Tolbert, Deville, Louisiana

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Santa, Baby: The Fairmont is Washington, D.C.’s Best Christmas Hotel

I have a thing for Fairmont hotels. I’ve visited nearly a dozen over the past decade, from China to Hawaii and everywhere in between, and my mom and I will be staying in a few of the Canadian properties while on a mother-daughter trip next month. Just this past weekend, in fact, SVV and I jetted off to D.C. for a quick 48-hour Fairmont getaway, but nothing prepared me for just how magical the Fairmont Washington, D.C. (and the city in general) would be over the holidays.

Looking for a last minute holiday getaway? Here’s why the Fairmont is the ultimate D.C. Christmas hotel, in our very educated opinion.

The Fairmont Washington, D.C. Rooms

The entire Fairmont Washington, D.C. and its 413 rooms recently underwent a head-to-toe renovation to the tune of $27 million. The upgraded look was unveiled during inauguration week, and the fresh look meant that were it not for the other offerings on tap, I might not have left my room.

I love the modern aesthetic—the building was constructed in 1985, so it was due for an upgrade—and the way the design has woven in elements of D.C.’s culture in a contemporary way.

Our ninth floor suite overlooked the central courtyard (I highly suggest requesting such a room with such a view), which is decked out for the holidays and has fire pits, trees, lights and even an ice skating rink.

The Lobby

I couldn’t stop snapping photos of the lobby, as the halls are decked and trees are trimmed with the kind of clean sheik you’d expect at a Fairmont. In addition to the permanent lobby art installations, the main room is ingeniously divided by a sort of glass tile chain mail, suspended at strategic points between the bar, lounge area and restaurant entrance to create a common space that is actually comfortable to use, whether for dining or work.

Santa’s Suite

Did you know that during the month of December, Santa lives at the Fairmont Washington, D.C.? I didn’t either! But I met up with the legend in the flesh while he was kicking it in his eighth floor digs. (He was quick to tell me he had to take the elevator down since the hotel has no chimney.)

Fairmont may be a luxury hotel, but it’s extremely kid-friendly (and pet-friendly, too!). So much so that the team set up an entire suite for Santa himself, and guests of the hotel can arrange a time to stop by and see Jolly Old Saint Nick on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. You can even see his suite from the courtyard, and you know Santa’s there because the green light is on.

He’s got a letter-writing station, a table glitzed out and ready to include his fairytale pals (Sponge Bob and Elsa were both on the place cards while I was visiting) and candy aplenty to hype up the little ones. There’s a fun story to accompany his residency, including the fact that he lands his sleigh on the roof with the beehives (yes, there’s an on-site apiary!) and loves the Fairmont’s signature warm, walnut-honey bread (Santa and I have this in common). Of course, there are also photo opps and the chance for your kiddos to tell Santa what’s on their Christmas list. It’s the only Santa Suite in D.C., and even as an adult, I got sucked into the magic of it all.

Ice Skating, Mulled Wine & Hot Chocolate

There’s a small, sustainably engineered 900-square-foot ice rink outside of the hotel in the courtyard where guests and non-guests alike can take a twirl ($5 for an hour and rental skates). The rink is open to the public on weekdays from 2 to 8pm and on weekends from 10am to 8pm. It’s not actually ice, but instead a teflon type slippery tile that seems way safer and obviously, environmentally neutral.

But my favorite part was the mulled wine, no big surprise, which is the perfect complement to the outdoor fire pits that encircle the rink. It wasn’t even that cold during our visit, but nothing gets me in the holiday spirit like a steaming glass of spices soaked in fermented grape juice that smell like Christmas (and taste like it, too!).

For the kiddos—OK, we each had a mug, as well!—there’s a hot chocolate bar ($5) where you can dress up your own sprinkles-dipped mug with candy canes, marshmallows and a whole lot more.

The space is particularly stunning at night when it’s awash in the soft glow of Christmas lights.

Holiday Modern Afternoon Tea

Without a doubt, my favorite part of any Fairmont stay is the brand’s iconic afternoon tea. But the Fairmont Washington, D.C. goes one step further by creating an entire holiday-themed menu.

Lot 35 Tea Company created a handful of specialty blends just for the occasion. I drank an entire pot of Fairmont’s Signature Winter Blend while SVV was drawn to the Snow Dragon. And OK, we may have also consumed a bottle of rosé champagne alongside our tea.

The food, of course, was the standout. The spread arrived on a two-tiered wood and slate bento box and was full of savory delights and some truly delicious sweet treats: cranberry mascarpone mousse, gingerbread cake, pumpkin eclairs and Earl Grey macaroons. I’m salivating just mentally reliving that moment.

Eating & Drinking at the Fairmont

We wound up eating most of our meals at the Fairmont Washington, D.C.: breakfast in the Fairmont Gold lounge, lunch in the lobby and dinners at Juniper Restaurant. We easily could have spent the entire weekend in our Georgetown hotel with no need to leave.

The drinks, no doubt, were a standout. I’m a big fan of a traditional Old Fashioned, and the hotel makes a dang good one. But I’m also a lover of gin and tonics, which is why The Craft was my overall favorite drink.

Want to try something you can only get at the hotel? Order the Beetini, the Fairmont Washington, D.C.’s signature drink made with—you guessed it—honey from the rooftop bees.

If you’ve got kids in town, there’s an entire Winter Wonderland Dinner Menu that features such meals as Rudolph’s Chicken Noodle Soup or Santa’s Spaghetti.

Winter Wonderland Weekend Package

If you want to recreate our own trip, Fairmont Washington, D.C. currently is offering a Winter Wonderland Weekend Package that includes overnight weekend accommodation, a visit to Santa’s Suite, a treat and a holiday gift for each child, complimentary access to the hotel’s ice rink and the chance to write Santa a letter (he responds to them all!). It starts at $185/night, and you still have plenty of time to squeeze in a visit before Christmas.

What’s your favorite Christmas hotel you’ve ever stayed in?

This project was in partnership with Travel Mindset and Fairmont Hotels

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