An Italian Treat for any pasta lover!

WHOA! delish... need I say more? Meat Lasagna!!! Found this at Balducci's in Westport and it is fantastic.... I did however choose the meat lasagna over the cheese hoping for more flavor, but I am excited to go back and get more! The flavor reminds me of homemade lasagna from when I was little- and I bet the cheese one is fantastic as well! This was pleasently priced around $6 for 2 servings- which that alone makes it worth it! After googling Conte's Gluten Free Lasagna's, I also found that Conte's makes a varitey of pastas (which was dense and with NO trace that this was GF- take it from a pasta lover), pizzas and frozen dinners! They also have a list of retailers on there site as well. What a treat... so if you can find them, grab them! You will not regret this tasty treat! :)

Bagels...

I found it- well the closest thing to it! I finally have a place to join the forces of melted butter and cream cheese again. Ok, so it's been awhile since I have been able to find that one morning treat that I can feel a little bit bad about eating :) to hell with eggs and bacon, or grits... finally I can have a bagel again. Against the Grain has done it again! You can find them in the frozen section of your local whole foods stores, bagels, baguettes, rolls. In fact I like the original roll the best! For best results, take one out of your freezer the night before to defrost. After slicing the next morning toast in the oven, unlike most GF food- you can actually eat this with out even toasting too! So welcome to the joy of a carb loading breakfast again!

Macaroni and Cheese... to top them all!

Thank you Claire for the initial recipe at BubbleFest last year (a way that girls can enjoy the Superbowl too), I almost got out of my non-sleep last night to make this, but decided to wait till dinner tonight! A girls gotta eat! With not to much of a twist, this meal is now GF! Comfort food to top them all... So here goes...

Cook: 1 bag pasta- I only like bionaturae's... you can not tell its gluten free!

In a skillet: cook for 5 mins together

4 tbs butter- and don't shy on the butter!

4 oz thin sliced pancetta (bacon also works) sliced and pan crisped

1 cup thin white onion

add one at a time:

2-3 clove garlic

1tbs chili flakes ( I prefer penzy's jalapeno California crushed, and I double)

add 4 more tbs of butter :)

1/4 cup flour (gluten free for me)

3 1/2 cups milk, stirring till slightly thick coating a spoon

wisk in:

8 oz mascarpone

1cup parmesan

2 1/2cup shredded chedder

Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a baking dish. In a separate dish combine 3/4cup gluten free bread crumbs (for non GF, panko works best!), 4 tbs butter :), 1/2cup parsley (again, I prefer more jalapenos from Penzys) . Toss these three ingredients and top  macaroni and cheese. Bake on 350* until medium golden brown!

MOST OF ALL- enjoy... Tish, this pictures for you! XOXO

Straight From the Farm...

Lately I have been obsessed with farmers markets, who isn't these days? With all the hormones and chemicals in our plants and meats- unless you are growing it or raising it... it ain't that good for you. That being said, my favorite farmers market has to be that of Westports. It is open on Thursdays 10-2 on Imperial Ave. (you have to get there early for the best picks!!!) Vegetables are amazing- of course- but they have EVERYTHING... not just the same thing you see weekly at each and every farmers market. From meats, to lettuce to cheese, these farmers know a good thing when they have it!

Last week one particular farm stuck out in my mind... Not only did they have all types of potatoes and eggplants that were red- I mean!!- they also sold soups. Riverbank Farm out of Roxbury, CT is as local and organic as they come. I treated myself to a container of their Potato and Celeriac Bisque with Parmesan, and I was very happy I did- even if it was $7... I kid you not when I say I am going back tomorrow for the bigger container (sold for $12). When I got to there booth everyone was buying there soups, already some were wiped off the board from being sold out, obviously I did not get there early enough... If everyone was buying it it had to be something great (the whispers about the butternut squash lead me to believe there might not be something better!!!). When I got home from the market, of course I was hungry, so I poured myself half a bowl. That bowl did not have seconds to cool down before the rest of the soup was in it. Creamy, flavorful, fresh- I can't put just words to what I put in my mouth.

If you have not been, this booth is reason enough to go... all the soups are made fresh, so go early, just not too early... I want some too!

Oprah is dishing out...

Gluten Free is now such a previlent diet (and I use that not in the fad way...) that even Oprah is talking about it! Finally some well needed attention, and from whom? Dr. Oz's daughter no less...  In the article Gluten Free: Is That For Me Daphne Oz speaks out about the growing need for people to be on this diet in society- 15%... 1 in 132 people have Celiac and 15% of the population have gluten related issues. I liked that she attacked that wheat and the way we grow our crops may be a very BIG reason for why it is becoming more and more pronounced... a theory my dad gave me once he started to believe that- heck there might be a thing called Celiac. It doesn't define a person, it just helps to know that elimination of a few things, makes our lives a bit easier! So read up, it's not that long, but it's nice to hear people talking about it, as it's only going to help we whom are effected!

Better Than Your Mom's Spaghetti and Meatballs...

This recipie comes from Gluten Free Mom, Jamie Eppenauer... Some advice: Yes, they are time consuming. Anytime you put the words homemade and meatballs together, you are in for a couple of hours. So put on some good music and roll up your sleeves.

For the Meatballs
1 pound sausage (we love Beelers breakfast sausage) or for a milder meatball use ½ pound veal and ½ pound pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs (make your own by taking stale bread and whirling it in the food processor or use Ener-G crackers or Hol-Grain Brown Rice Bread Crumbs)
1 t parsley flakes (or 2 T chopped fresh)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (use Vegan Grated Topping for CF)
2 t kosher salt
½ t pepper
1 egg beaten
½ cup warm water
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the Sauce
1 T good olive oil
1 chopped yellow onion
1 ½ t minced garlic
½ cup red wine such as Chianti
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
½ t parsley flakes (or 1 T chopped fresh)
1 ½ t kosher salt
½ t pepper
Of course, 1 ½ pounds GF spaghetti

Mix the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg and ½ cup warm water in a bowl.With your hands, lightly form 2-inch meatballs. Yields 14-16 meatballs.Pour equal amounts of vegetable and olive oil in a large skillet to ¼ inch depth. Heat the oil. Brown the meatballs on medium-low heat in batches (it took me 3 batches). Carefully turn them to brown all sides – tongs work well for this. It takes about 10 minutes for each batch. Remove the meatballs to a plate and discard the oil, but do not clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 – 10 minutes.Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates – about 3 minutes.Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper. At this point I set aside a little of the sauce for the vegetarian in the family.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. Serve over cooked spaghetti with grated Parmesan cheese,Caesar salad and Chebe bread sticks.

It's getting to be chilly....

Manhattan Chili Company may be in Grand Central Station, but it's also locally found in our Whole Foods Market. And of course... we love it because it's GF. Although I am not really impressed with their website, I am impressed with what they have to offer- and really, that's what counts (at least when I am hungry!!) It's deliciously chock full of flavors, fresh herbs, and spices- and can jump kick any fall day. Chili's range from poultry, vegitarian, beef and even lamb... so there is something for everyone. I first found out about this company through a my friend Kristin as her boyfriend Todd is an avid fan!  Two thumbs up for friends who let me know ANY time I can eat something delicious and new! Knowing that I have gluten problems, Todd let me know right away when he found a great product.Now, every time I pass through Grand Central, I have to stop... just for a small size though- be careful- it's VERY filling! I definitely did not pass it up before going to catch a show the last time I was in the city and today was no different! I had to be fast as I had to meet Kristin to help pack up her clothing line she was showing at Moda this week- K Madison-  but I had to fill my tummy and Manhattan is no place to be running around with a hungry tummy! So next time you are hopping on the train out of the city (the express I hope!), enjoy your commute and get a dish!