Archive for the ‘The Daily Shoestring’ Category
February 25th, 2010
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Photographer Lisa Weatherbee and Yours Truly.
Back in December I promised to keep you in the loop as the cookbook comes along. I mean after all, without your interest in Gluten Free on a Shoestring there would be no book, and I’d probably be asking myself, “if you write an online recipe site and nobody reads it, is it still a blog?”
So here’s where things are at this point. I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen and on the laptop for about 5 months now. My goal is to put together a collection of recipes that I think you’ll really enjoy and can use on a regular basis.
Because when you go gluten-free, the toughest part is duplicating the everyday things like breads, baked goods and comfort foods without spending a fortune.
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Asst. Photographer “Friday” made sure the floor stayed clean of unwanted crumbs.
As is the case with most things, there’s a pretty long lead time. The manuscript is due this spring (yikes!) and the book is scheduled to hit the shelves in early 2011.
Based on that schedule, we needed to start taking photos of some of the recipes. We just completed the first part of the photo shoot last weekend
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READY, SET…
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SHOOT!
We want the recipes to look great, but also feel accessible. There’s no point in making a gluten-free cookbook with complicated recipes that you’ll never make. We’ll leave that to the fancy-schmancy chefs.
I hope you enjoy these behind-the-scenes photos of day one of the photo shoot.
- Tapestries = nice backgrounds.
- And just what might this be?
- Make dough. Form. Bake. Photograph. Upload.
Part two of the photo shoot is scheduled to take place in a couple of weeks. Until then, you’ll find me in front of the computer and as always, with my head in the oven.
Warmly,
Nicole
December 28th, 2009
This has been quite a year. Filled with downs and then ups.
As many of you know, I was laid off from my job back in March. That lead to the start of Gluten Free on a Shoestring. Since then, the blog has grown by leaps and bounds. It’s been mentioned in the New York Times. It’s attracted nearly 1,000 loyal “fans” on Facebook. And now Gluten Free on a Shoestring is set to become a cookbook as well.
Much of this success is due to you. Your comments and stories have inspired me and made sharing these recipes so rewarding. So thank you for all of your support and encouragement. And please keep those messages coming.
As we move into 2010, I plan to share more recipes and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the cookbook. After all, Gluten Free on a Shoestring is as much yours as it is mine.
Let me wish you and your families Happy Holidays and success in the New Year. To cap things off, I’ve shared some “Shoestring Specials” to help you finish 2009 on a shoestring – because isn’t that why we’re all here?
See you next year!
Warmly,
Nicole
Final Shoestring Specials for 2009
Amazon.com Offers (all offers good thru 12/31/09)
25% off Oskri Organics GF bars
Use code OSKRI554
Order at http://bit.ly/5xK0dX
10% off over 10 different Bob’s Red Mill products (including gf flour, mixes for pancakes, pizza crust, cookies & more)
Use code BOBSGLFR
Order at http://bit.ly/5dlkVA
$10 off Nestle Toll House Chips ($29 min. purchase)
Discount automatically applied at checkout.
Order at http://bit.ly/6oA4Gj
35% off LesserEvil Snacks (gf popcorns and potato sticks)
Use code TSTEEVIL
Order at http://bit.ly/8sCEVV
40% off Sam Mills GF Corn Pasta
No code needed. Discount automatically deducted at checkout.
Order at http://bit.ly/4EP2yW
15% off Celestial Seasonings Teas
Use code TEACEL45
Order at http://bit.ly/790W8X
Gluten-Free Mall
10% off your order thru Jan 1, 2010
Use code 7f3a62
Order at http://www.glutenfreemall.com
Celiac Disease Book Offer
Save $10 on “Recognizing Celiac Disease” by Cleo Libonati (thru 12/31/09)
Recognizing Celiac Disease is a ready reference that identifies symptoms related to celiac disease and their underlying causes. Order at http://www.recognizingceliacdisease.com
$2.00 Coupon for Attune GF Probiotic Bars
Attune wellness bars combine all-natural, great-tasting ingredients with powerful probiotics that are clinically proven to support digestive health and promote a strong immune system.
Print the coupon at http://attunefoods.com/coupon/?MjAwb2ZmNw
Disclosure: Gluten Free on a Shoestring receives a small affiliate commission on Amazon.com orders placed via product links and Amazon banner ads on our site. So support Gluten Free on a Shoestring and order through the blog. And thanks…
November 28th, 2009
A gluten free Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night … and then a really good After-Thanksgiving Sandwich.
At Thanksgiving dinner, all 3 of my kids ate themselves silly, and then, at the very end of the night, asked that I save the scraps they simply could not eat. The very next day, they were all clamoring for leftovers (and interrogating me about whether or not I did in fact save their individual scraps). I did not cook at all that day. It was glorious. In an effort to eek out one more meal from my Thanksgiving efforts, I have assembled a lovely After-Thanksgiving Sandwich. And I invite you to do the same….
What I did looks dramatic, but is simple. The depth of the cranberry color makes all the difference in the presentation, with no more than a modicum of effort. I took a couple of thick slices of Tom’s Sandwich Bread, buttered each side of the bread and then topped the butter with a generous layer of cranberry sauce, then layered in some sliced Thanksgiving turkey, and topped it with Apple & Leek Cornbread Stuffing. Assemble the sandwich, slice it in half with a large serrated knife, & enjoy.
In case you don’t know the pleasures of homemade cranberry sauce, here’s a quick recipe. I usually buy a bunch of bags of fresh cranberries this time of year, when they’re readily available, and throw a few in the freezer. Homemade cranberry sauce is so nice, I even make it other random times during the year. Cranberries also work beautifully in Any Berry Scones. You just use them frozen — no need to defrost before baking them with the scones.
Whole Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 12 oz. bag fresh whole cranberries
1 cup water
scant 2/3 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1. Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the berries are soft and sauce is as thick as you desire.
3. Allow the sauce to cool. This may be stored in the refrigerator for days, so it’s great to make ahead of time.
Enjoy your After-Thanksgiving wonders!
Warmly,
Nicole
November 10th, 2009
that's amore!
It is entirely possible, if not probable, that I am creating unrealistic culinary expectations for my children. When I first made my own gluten free pasta, it was one of the first times that my son, Jonathan, made the connection betweenscratch cooking and, well, cooking not-from-scratch.
I boil store-bought brown rice pasta quite often. Jonathan is very accustomed to it. So when I first made my own pasta, a light bulb went on in his mind. That would seem to be a good thing, except he got carried away. Precocious as he is, he’s still only 5 1/2 years old. So when he finished his dinner of homemade ravioli, he asked, “Hey, Mom, wouldn’t it be cool if you made your own water?”
Fresh Gluten Free Pasta
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose gluten free flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 extra-large egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2-2/3 cup warm water
1. In food processor or stand mixer, mix all ingredients EXCEPT the water together until well-blended. Let it go for a couple of minutes to activate the xanthan gum.
2. After blending for a couple minutes, add the water in a slow but steady stream while the machine is on, until the mixture comes together in a ball. It should look like very stiff play-doh (imagine gluten free play-doh, of course).
3. Divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll out each ball of dough between two sheets of plastic wrap until it’s about 1/8″ thick (about the thickness of a nickel). You don’t want it to be too thin or it will fall apart when you boil it; if it’s too thick, it will be gummy. Blech.
4. Create whatever shaped pasta you like. Cut the pasta into thin strips and make linguini, or try your hand at ravioli like I did (all you need is a metal ravioli cutter – it cuts and seals and costs a pittance at any kitchen supply store worth its salt). It also makes great cannelloni or lasagna noodles.
5. Boil a BIG pot of water, salt it liberally once it’s boiling, and place your pasta, in thirds, into the water. Cooking times will depend upon shape, but should range from 8-12 minutes.
Hey, it’s better than trying to make your own water.
Mangia!
Warmly,
Nicole
October 15th, 2009
$7.00 for a basic loaf of ready-made gluten-free bread? For realz? Who’s buying bread for that kind of cash money? The only way you do that is if money is no object for you (and may I be the first to say, I’m jealous of people like that — but I’m not proud of it), or if you don’t know that there is another option within reach. That kind of $7.00 bread habit is just not sustainable on a Shoestring budget. And even the good gluten-free breads don’t hold a candle to the fresh-baked, homemade stuff.
Let’s face it. It’s time for an intervention. Step away from the overpriced bread.
I’ve previously listed a recipe for tasty Tom’s Sandwich Bread. You know that. But what you don’t know is that it’s magic dough. The other day, someone on the GFOAS Facebook Page asked for a good hamburger/hot dog bun recipe. She wanted some nice buns. As I was trying to dream up a recipe for some nice buns (because, really, who doesn’t like nice buns?), I remembered that I’ve used that same Tom’s bread recipe to make great rolls, too. (How many more times can I make the nice buns joke?)
Here’s what I’ve done to convert the Tom’s Bread dough into rolls. It’s super simple: Just mix up a batch, and scoop mounds of bread dough with a 1 1/2” diameter ice cream scooper (or larger if you prefer), an inch or so apart, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place in a draft-free, warm space to rise for about 45 minutes (perhaps less), and bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. It really doesn’t take much more time than that.
Another way to make more bread with less dough is to be smart about how you shop for ingredients. Gluten-free flours are definitely more expensive than conventional flour, but you can find most varieties (rice, garbanzo bean, soy, etc.)
for a pretty good price on Amazon.com. Another great way to save is on the other ingredients that go into bread. If you can lower the cost of your eggs and your milk, you can start bringing down your price per loaf right quick. One ingredient that is pretty expensive is yeast. I usually have to spend around $8 for a tiny, 4 ounce jar of Fleischmann’s yeast at my local supermarket. At least it cost less than those individual packets (which I don’t care for anyway, since sometimes I need more or less yeast than the standard 2 ¼ teaspoons), but that’s not enough.
So I called in my husband, Brian. He’s got the gift of google. Here’s what he found: Bob’s Red Mill saves the day. We were able to buy a shelf-stable box of eight, 8-ounce packages (64 ounces total) of Bob’s Red Mill Active Dry Yeast
for $25.37 which works out to about 40 cents per ounce. And not only does the yeast get rave reviews on Amazon, but I have used it and I love it, too.
Let them eat … bread.
October 9th, 2009
Saving 15-30% on these products is no trick
Hello everyone. Nicole’s husband, Brian, here. Nicole is tied up with a bunch of things — one of which she’ll be telling you about soon (and it’s pretty exciting). So I’ll be your guest blogger today. Just think of me like a substitute teacher. Hey you in the back, I see you passing notes. Alright, maybe don’t think of me as a substitute. Think of me as Nicole, but not quite as funny.
With Halloween just around the corner, I figured you might like some treats in the form of gluten-free savings. I mean, isn’t that what this blog is all about? I’d post a recipe for you, but you’d probably never come back. I’ll leave the recipes to Nicole. So here you go. Your gluten-free savings tip for the week:
Save 15% – 30% on GF Products from Arrowhead Mills, DeBoles Pasta, Imagine Foods
Here’s the deal:
1. Click the link above for Amazon.com
2. Order any of their gluten free products from Hain by October 31, 2009. The savings apply to flours and mixes from Arrowhead Mills, rice and corn pasta from DeBoles, soups and broth from Imagine Foods and much more.
3. Enter the promo code HAINGF25 at checkout and you’ll SAVE 15%
4. To SAVE AN ADDITIONAL 15%, choose the Subscribe & Save option (for automatic reordering every 1 – 6 months).
That’s it. No tricks. No hassles. And no shipping charges when your order is at least $25. Now isn’t that better than a candy apple? Does anyone really like those things anyway? So do me a favor. Or actually two favors. Go ahead and order gluten free from Amazon.com. And tell Nicole that I was a good sub, or quote unquote guest blogger. Positive reviews keep me in good standing.
September 25th, 2009
Amazon.com on a Shoestring ??
When you’re on a shoestring budget, living gluten-free can sometimes be challenging. Your choices are limited. Health food stores are expensive. And ordering online is no good when shipping charges start to add up. But there are ways to be smart about it. One of those ways is with Amazon.com.
I’ve written about Amazon.com before as a great place buy things like all-purpose GF flour and get free shipping (and often a better price). But free shipping is only the half of it. There’s more to the story…
Save 15% on selected GF products
You can save an extra 15% off Amazon’s already competitive prices, and still get free shipping, on many Gluten-free cereals, Gluten-free flours and Gluten-free baking mixes through Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program.
Here’s how Subscribe & Save works: You place an order of eligible items and choose to receive repeat shipments of that order every 1, 2,3 or 6 months (it’s up to you). Don’t want another 4 bags of gf flour that soon? No problem. You can change, cancel or deactivate the subscription right after your initial purchase – and you still get the 15% discount, and there is no penalty at all. That’s shopping smart. And that’s living Gluten Free on a Shoestring.
So go shop and save. You know what basics you need to have in stock. Just take a pantry inventory, and stock up. You can thank me later.*
Warmly,
Nicole
* P.S., In case you’re wondering, Amazon did not put me up to this. Yes, if you click through a link to amazon on this site, you will help support us a teeny tiny bit (we get a tiny little monetary reward through their amazon affiliate program), and we’d appreciate that. But you can always avoid that, if it makes you feel not-so-fresh at all. Just put amazon.com in your browser and go it alone. No problem, no hurt feelings. Just savings, shoestring-style.
July 10th, 2009
blast from the past
A long, long time ago, and I can still remember … I posted a recipe for pancake muffins. But it was so long ago. It’s there on the Blue Plate Specials page, but you probably have to click through a couple of times to get to it, and that’s just a shame. It brings a tear to my eye to think of you thinking pancakes are out of your gluten free arm’s reach, or, horror of horrors, that you have to make pancakes one by one on a griddle or some such atrocity.
Make 12 pancake muffins all at the same time, no muss, no fuss. And then sit down with everyone else and enjoy them, too. Go on. Live a little.
DRY MIX INGREDIENTS (makes a total of 3 batches of dry mix):
Combine:
6 cups Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour
2 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. kosher salt
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
TO MAKE A BATCH OF PANCAKE MUFFINS
Combine 2 cups of DRY MIX with:
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (just sour any sort of milk with a dash of vinegar)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a muffin tin well with whatever you like (Pam is gluten free, & that’s what I use). Fill each of the wells about 3/4 of the way full with pancake batter.
Pop in the center of a preheated oven and bake until just until the muffins are not wet in the middle, about 20 minutes.
If you have extra batter, bake the rest in another prepared muffin tin. If not every well is filled with batter, fill the empty wells with water so the baking is even.
They’re almost like popovers (another lovely thing that can be made gluten free), but they’re pancakes!
Warmly,
Nicole
May 13th, 2009
Homemade Hot Pocket
Not bad, right?
It’s so simple, and now that I have Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (check it out in the sidebar, right there), I can make my own version of Hot Pockets with fresh, whole ingredients that do not lay your soul to waste. And for pennies a pocket.
I use Gluten Free Pizza Dough (click on Blue Plate Specials and scroll down on that page for the super simple recipe), roll it out, and fill it up as you please. Here, I made a simple, inexpensive vegetable chili, put a few tablespoons of that, topped with shredded cheese in the center of the dough, and then folded it over, pinched as you see here, and popped it in a hot oven (start at 425 degrees and go higher if you get impatient). Voila! My kids love it. They get to eat with their hands! What could be bad.
I’m beginning to think that pizza dough is the key to kitchen happiness. Wait a minute…. Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour is the key to thrifty gluten free pizza dough, and thrifty gluten free pizza dough is the key to kitchen happiness. So, tautologically speaking (if I may speak freely), Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour is the KEY to kitchen happiness. Life is good….
Not that you really need to know this about me, but I ran a few miles yesterday morning. Just around the block, and at a snail’s pace. But it was the first time in 6 or 8 months. I find that it helps me to cope better with life in general. Right now coping is not simple for me, and running is possible.
The weather in NY these past few days has been perfect for running, the fog of my having been laid off from my job in March is finally starting to lift, and my children are really becoming more insane by the day. They 3 are all in ribbons because school is fixing to end for the year relatively soon, and they are fixed on what is ending (school as they current know it) and for my older 2 who will be going to schools in the Fall that are new to them, they fear the unknown. So what I’m trying to say is that I need to be able to coax them through these few months with at least a modicum of grace, and if I go for a run, I find that I really do have my wits about me much more reliably. Not that I always have my wits about me, but I do more frequently. And I’m nicer. Why is it that the other mothers all seem to find this easier to accomplish?
What does all of this have to do with Hot Pockets? I’m sure I could come up with something, but I must fit in a run before it’s time to pick up from preschool, you see….
Warmly,
Nicole
May 10th, 2009
- This is the hand you used to hold…
I received this tile from my 3 1/2 year old. She made it at the best preschool in the whole world, and this is the poem that was on the back. If you can read this with a dry eye, you’re a Better Man Than I:
This is the hand you used to hold
When I was only 3 years old
But she’s STILL 3 years old! She’s my youngest, and I am surprisingly melancholy about her insistence upon growing older.
Happy Mothers’ Day to all the Moms. ‘Talk’ to you tomorrow….
Warmly,
Nicole
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