Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese

One of the Honey’s favourite things is Kraft Dinner. I don’t understand the fascination with it and why people like it so much. To me there is nothing natural about it and it’s orange. And it’s a crazy colour of orange too. I have had it, long long ago and I’ve tried my best throughout the years to avoid making it.

To subdue the Honey I learned how to make it from scratch. It seems daunting at first, but it’s actually quite easy. With gluten-free elbow pasta being easier to find on the market it is just like the stuff mom used to make. Let’s be honest, mac & cheese is not the same with penne or fusilli pasta.

The best part: you can choose what kind of cheese you want (the picture below is with old cheddar).

Macaroni with Gruyère & Parmesan  Serves 8 (20 minutes to prepare)
1 lb macaroni
2 tbs butter
1 cup grated gruyère cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup cream or milk
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
Cook the pasta in boiling water & drain. Stir in butter, cheese, cream & seasonings. Combine & serve.

Trust

This is something I’ve always grappled with. I’ve never easily trusted people and didn’t feel many people could be trusted. This may have been chocked up from experience; friends who weren’t really friends, boyfriends who were jerks, and a grandmother who liked badmouthing my father and stepmother. Surrounded by people like that makes you think differently about people in general.

Since moving to Ottawa I’ve learnt that people can be trusted. Some took some time. Some never gained it. Some others gained it wholeheartedly. While I still don’t willingly hand my trust over, I’ve found it a bit easier as I’ve matured. I’m a pretty good judge of character (again learning from past experiences), but once in a while, I’m fooled. Maybe I’m not fooled, but I feel pretty stupid.

A while ago I met someone who was a fellow blogger and we got chatting. Ironically, she has more food allergies than I do, and that’s quite a few. One that we share is gluten. We got talking about gluten-free food, products, restaurants, problems, etc. We continued our discussion via email and it seemed like a decent discussion –people talking about ideas, experiences, and of course life.

Not too long ago I happened to be checking out some updates on her blog and I saw something that seemed eerily familiar. At first I told myself it was a coincidence, but I really knew better. She had many of the things I had said written and made it very clear she disagreed. I was shocked. Then I was angry, then I was saddened. Now I’m just ambivalent.

Sometimes I feel like I’m being too sensitive. Sometimes I take things the wrong way. Aware that this might have happened I asked the Honey to take a look and explained the situation. Luckily for me, he knows when I need something sugar-coated and when I want the truth. He read it. He wasn’t impressed.

It was someone I had trusted and shouldn’t have. It is a reminder that I should continue to trust my gut instincts and it is okay to keep my guard up. What I find most disappointing is that this person couldn’t discuss it. Instead she had to disagree via her blog, a place I find very public. Ironically, I don’t push my ideas on people and I listen to what they have to say whether they agree with me or not. In contrast, I felt her opinion was being forced upon me. It seemed she had something to prove. She disagreed and made it appear that she knew better and more than me, and was the authority for gluten-free. Her tone bordered on militant and fear-mongering. I’ve been dealing with food allergies for 10 years and it made me doubt a lot of what I know (even though I know many of her points were incorrect or inaccurate). It was a little scary.

Maybe that is the downside of the written word. It is a wonderful tool to communicate, but once in a while written words become a very powerful tool. In this case they felt like a weapon.

Gluten-Free Mexican Brownies

One day, while on a bacon run for the Honey, I saw something that looked delicious. I had to take a second look, then I had to ask some questions. I couldn’t believe it. Baked goods at a butcher shop, and to top it off they were gluten-free.

I couldn’t resist.

These aren’t your typical brownies. They have a bit of heat, hence they’re called Mexican Brownies. I’d never tasted anything like it. I had to get the Honey’s opinion and he approved (a little surprising given that he’s a bit of a traditionalist). I really like the contrast of these from other brownies. Also, they aren’t super sweet or moist. I enjoy the firmer texture of them. They’re different.

During the summer I bought these quite often, then I needed to take a break. With my own brownie making I had brownie overload (I didn’t think it would be possible, but it was!). Then I didn’t see them for a while. One day, on another bacon run, I asked the cashier if they had stopped making them. They still did, but she said I could always ask if I didn’t see any (and I assume they would take an order for them).


Next time you’re taking a walk in Wellington West (Hintonburg/Westboro) pop into Saslove’s to pick some up to try. It’s nice to try something a little different.

Want to be a Barista?

I’ve become quite the regular at the Bridgehead coffee shops downtown. Since I work from office to office I’m a transient by day – moving from my students’ offices instead of them coming to me. The major drawback is that I’m buying a lot of my coffee (aka expensive lattes) and tea on the go in addition to many lunches instead of having a place to brew my own and sit to eat my lunch. The upside: I get to go to Bridgehead often (lactose-free milk for my lattes and fabulous soups that are usually gluten and dairy free).

On a recent morning run, as I was waiting for a sugar-loaded latte that was to be my breakfast, I saw a little card for a coffee seminar.

Bridgehead and The Urban Element are teaming up for seminars to help improve one’s ‘at home barista skills’. While you learn how to brew that espresso and pour the steamed milk creatively you can munch on some of the great tasting goodies made at the kitchens of Bridgehead and Urban Element (if you’re concerned about the GF options, contact Urban Element to see if accommodations can be made). It sounds like a lot of fun and if it’s not for you, it may make a original gift idea.

Workshops take place Jan 23, Feb 20, Mar 27, and Apr 17 at The Urban Element on Parkdale Ave. Prices are $75/person. Contact them for more info.

Lucky

I consider myself lucky when it comes to my job. Not only do I enjoy my job, but I’m lucky in that my students are great people. They are so easy to work with and easy to please. They are happy to be getting language training and will do whatever you want. It helps that I give them what they want too, but it’s amazing to think at the end of the day I work with great people.

Of course I can’t say I’ve never had a difficult student. That would be a lie. I have encountered the odd difficult student, but I find ways to work with them. Even if they frustrate me, we work together on their goals. There have even been shouting matches, but nothing that would make me pull out my hair or tell them where to shove it.

In October I got a pile of new students – 5 actually – for private lessons. They are wonderful people and ironically we have a lot in common. That seems to happen a lot. It’s really nice. Sometimes a student will say ‘I know I’m different and people don’t agree with me’ about a specific topic and I often find myself saying ‘I know what you mean’. Both of us are always taken by surprise that someone else has the same quirky opinion or idea.

Last year I had two firsts: a nightmare student and I had to quit a student. My nightmare student expected her English to improve magically. She needed to obtain a specific level because she had actually gone down a level when she had redone her test prior to our lessons. Our goal was to get that level, and to this day, I’m not sure if it happened. I’d actually be surprised if it did. Although she needed a specific level, she would not do the work involved or make an effort. She wanted homework, but would never do it. To make matters worse this student had a timeline. She was the only student I’ve had that didn’t make one single improvement. It was a little sad, but I needed to realize that I could only do so much. My supervisor was very understanding and knew from previous teachers what this student was like. Ironically she didn’t want to tell me beforehand, afraid I’d refuse to take the student on.

My second first: I had to quit a student last month and again I had an understanding supervisor. This student kept cancelling on me, sometimes with notice and sometimes without. It was maddening given that this student had my home phone number so things like this wouldn’t happen. But often, there I was waiting in the lobby at 8am with her being somewhere else. Or I would get a call just before the 24hr timeline, preventing others from taking her spot so they could make up hours they had missed. When she refused to adjust her lesson schedule I knew it was time to say goodbye. I just hope her new teacher scheduled afternoon classes so he doesn’t have to get out of bed early for her.


Whether or not it is luck, it became clear to me this week how lucky I am to work with a large number of fabulous people. Recently I had some prep classes for the government’s lovely language test and every one of the students was pleasant, motivated and happy. Last week I started with four other new students and again, they all seem appreciative and happy to have language training. I have friends who also teach ESL and they seem to have horror story after horror story. I feel so bad when I talk about my great students. One even asked once in frustration ‘How do you always have great students?!’. My answer: ‘Just lucky I guess’.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Italian Style

Every once in a while when I’m at DiRienzo Foods on Meadowlands, I pick up some cookies. They always have the Le Veneziane brand and since I like the pasta I figured I’d try the cookies. The first time I bought them I made the mistake of opening the bag in the car. What greeted me was the smell of chocolate chip cookies. You can’t say that about many packaged gluten-free cookies.

I had one. Then I had another. Then another. They were good.

Sor Risi di Mais chocolate cookies are not large, but they have nice flavour and texture. They aren’t grainy or mealy and they melt in your mouth a little. They aren’t super chocolaty, but I like that. The cookie base is full of a flour taste either. This is a nice cookie.
 

Chocolate Banana Snacking Cake

This summer and fall I put the bananas in my freezer to good use. I stock them up for banana bread and discovered a chocolate banana cake that I really, really enjoy. My normal banana bread could be considered quasi-healthy, but with all the chocolate and sugar in this recipe it would be considered more like a snack or dessert.

It was hard deciding which picture to use as the crazy sunshine from my kitchen window was almost overwhelming, and if I waited, there wouldn’t be much left to photograph.

This is a nice moist cake that is easy to make in one bowl (even though you’re probably not supposed to). I’ve used different forms too; using a bundt pan makes it seem a little more posh than it is. The rise is really nice and it isn’t too dense or heavy. The flavours are also nice and balanced, not too much banana or chocolate.

I’ve been trying recipes from the Complete Gluten-Free Cookbook by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt for a bit now and this one so far is my favourite.

Chocolate Banana Snacking Cake (makes 9-12 servings)
2/3 cup sorghum flour
¼ cup quinoa flour
2 tbs tapioca starch
1 ½ tsp guar gum
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup mashed bananas
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¼ cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Combine dry ingredients then set aside. In a large bowl beat bananas, sugar, oil, water, vanilla and egg until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Spoon into a pan and smooth out. Let stand for 30 minutes. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes.