Apple Brown Betty!

Hooray, it's Fall!

As the brown leaves are beginning to cover up my sidewalk outside, I remember those days when we raked them into piles for jumping!  Fall is the fun time when we start to wear sweatshirts and begin thinking about our Halloween costumes.  The harvest time that naturally is followed by one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving!

Anyway, this is one of the best recipes I have for you, it is a favorite in my family.  My dad has made this for years.


Here it is:

• First, fill up a 9 X 13 pan with apple slices (I use a 5-lb bag of Granny Smith apples)
  
• Drizzle with 1/3 cup orange juice.
  

Then, mix in a bowl:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup rice flour + 1/2 cup potato flour (or 1 cup of any flour will do)
  
• 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 tsp. nutmeg
• dash salt
• 1/4-1/2 cup butter

I mix the above in a microwaveable bowl, and nuke it til the butter melts.  Mixture should be crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over the top of the apples.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 or 375.  Crumb topping should be slightly browned.

Enjoy!!!

Underground tip:  Tart apples taste the best.  A combination of different varieties of tart apples is even better.

Insurace Company cancels policy due to Celiac Diagnosis

I hope by now, everyone has heard of the practice of Rescission by health insurance companies.  They approve your coverage and accept your premium payments, only to later cancel your coverage when you get sick.  This is a horrible practice that must be stopped, in my opinion.  Here is a story of a young lady whose coverage was cancelled when she received a celiac diagnosis:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/20/784011/-A-Walking-Pre-Existing-Condition

Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook, by Robert Landolphi

Hey everyone!

A little while ago, I was sent a copy of Robert Landolphi's Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook, and I'd like to tell you why I'm really excited about it.

Cookbooks are a tricky thing, because they need to be interesting enough that you actually want to make things out of them, but not so complicated that they are impractical for people living regular lives (like too many ingredients, ingredients that are difficult to find, or too hard to make).

The story goes that Chef Robert Landolphi's wife was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. He started experimenting and creating gluten free dishes.

From the back cover, "Not just another gluten-free cookbook, the Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook is an essential lifestyle resource complete with informative ingredient glossaries, cooking tips and techniques, baking tutorials, and even advice for eating away from home."

The book is attractive and easy to use. Chapter One is "Gluten Free Basics" and includes a "Flours and Starches" section. I think this is very helpful--it describes properties of the flours and their nutritional information. It also offers tips on how long and where to store the flours (how long in the cupboard vs. the fridge vs. the freezer).

The chapters are:

1. Gluten Free Basics
2. Soups, Chowders, Chilis, and Bisques
3. Entrees
4. Side Dishes
5. Pies and Cakes
6. Quick Breads, Biscuits, Muffins, and Bread Sticks
7. Cookies and Sweet Bars
8. Puddings, Mousses, and Cobblers
9. A Chef's Perspective on Eating Out

Also, at the end is a section of Resources, which lists Celiac Organizations, Gluten-Free Food Distributors, and Dining Information. I feel like these list are somewhat incomplete. (For example, Bard's Tale Beer is listed, but nothing about New Grist or Redbridge products). It would seem that these categories are expanding so much that a cookbook can't keep up (which I think is great!)

Anyway, the main dishes I made were the Chicken Piccata and the Beef Stroganoff. Both were amazing!

Here's a pic of the Chicken Piccata:



















I made this dish with my family this summer. (ha ha, don't you love the 70's plates?)

Yum--Everyone loved it! It was like eating out at home.

Some of the recipes are simple. Some of the recipes take time, and have more than a few ingredients. But good things take time. And this book was easy to understand and the directions were easy to follow. The recipes were DELICIOUS! Really good. Like you can count on them when company's coming over.

Anyway, I haven't felt this good about very many GF cookbooks! This one's a keeper.