Cold season aproacheth

I haven't done much with this blog, have I? Sorry! (Who am I apologizing to? Does anyone even read this?) In all honestly, I'm not much of a cook and there's only so much you can write about trying not to burn the chicken while microwaving frozen vegetables.

But then I got a cold and I thought that saying something about cold remedies that won't mess with one's allergies might be a good idea.

So here it is. Tea.

Herbal tea, specifically. The Altivia and Traditional Medicinals brands, even more specifically. No added flavorings, just herbs and whatever you'd call things like licorice root and cherry bark. My own 'nuclear option' cold remedy consists of about five different herbal blends steeped in a glass of water for about fifteen minutes. I'm told it smells bad enough to kill so I don't recommend it for people with a working olfactory system. Still, there are some pretty good teas out there for colds, and they taste pretty good even without adding honey. Do recommend adding honey, though. It's great for colds. If you have allergies to any particular plants, you might want to get a brand of honey that specifies which flowers it's been made from.

Oh, and mullein tea with warm milk and honey is wonderful. Not sure how milk counts as part of an herbal remedy, and if you can't drink milk than you can leave it out, but dang if it doesn't feel good going down! And mullein is a traditional cold remedy. Kinda makes me want to head for the highway and dig up a couple plants to keep.

Holiday Meatballs or Meatloaf

I've tried a meatloaf recipe before and it was way too complicated. Not to mention crumbly. So I decided, to heck with it, and get Mom's recipe.

Shoulda done that from the start.

Now, the recipe is technically for meatballs, but it also makes a very good meatloaf.

Holiday Meatballs

1 lb hamburger
1 egg (I found out by accident that it works just as well without the egg)
1C crisp rice cereal
1/4C spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, or crushed tomato
1t dry or wet mustard
1t salt

Mix all ingredients together. Make 12 balls or throw lot into bread pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Can prepare ahead and refrigerate.

Note: Last 5 minutes of cooking, spoon extra sauce onto tops of meatballs and return to oven. Looks extra fancy.


My guess is the 'extra fancy' part is why they're called 'holiday meatballs.'

And there you have it! Simple, easy, fast meatballs (or loaf).

Salmon/tuna loaf can be easy

I tried a recipe for salmon loaf that was on the back of a can of salmon. It took a lot more ingredients and ended up a lot more mushy than what Mom makes.

Salmon loaf and tuna loaf are essentially the same thing except for the kind of fish you use. Theoretically, you should be able to substitute any canned fish. Wonder what mackerel loaf would taste like?

Anyway, this is how Mom makes salmon/tuna loaf.

1 14.75oz can salmon or 2 5oz cans tuna (if you have soy allergies, be sure to read the labels!)
2 cups Rice Crispies (you can substitute any semi-puffed rice cereal or gluten-free bread crumbs)
2 eggs

Mix, put in a bread pan, set oven for 350, and cook for about 1/2 an hour.

I don't think it can get much simpler than that.

Pancakes can be gluten free!

No, really!

These turned out a little peculiar tasting, as I recall, but that was probably because I ran out of the sort of flour called for and had to substitute something kinda close.

1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon baking powder (be sure to get a kind that specifies that it's gluten free, I go the extra mile and get one that's aluminum free, too)
1 cup flour (rice, corn or chickpea)
extra butter for frying (you can use oil or Crisco if you prefer)

In a food processor, whirl all liquids. Slowly add baking powder and flour. Yeah, it seems weird to use a food processor, but the resulting batter is really light and poofy and saves on a lot of arm strain.

Heat pan until butter sizzles.

Pour batter until about 2 inches in diameter. When bubbles go to top turn and cook until golden brown.

I'm betting you could probably add some berries or other fruits to this if you like. I haven't tried that yet, though.

Rhubarb Crisp and the Lost Art of Simplicity

Trying to find a simple, gluten-free rhubarb crisp recipe is really what inspired me to start this blog. It is ridiculously hard. Not that there aren't recipes out there, but they're either way too complicated to be practical, swimming in sugar, or involve some of the strangest ingredients. (Why, in the name of sanity, would someone put Cayenne pepper in a dessert?) As for cookbooks, mine seemed to be unaware of rhubarb's existence.

Of course, I might be spoiled. When I was a kid, well before I found out about Celiac's disease, Mom made the best rhubarb crisp bar none.

So that gave me an idea. Adapt Mom's recipe to be gluten free. Which I think she got from Betty Crocker, but I'm not sure.

Rhubarb Crisp

6 cups rhubarb
1/3 cup water

Butter 9x13x2 inch pan, pour in rhubarb, sprinkle with water.

1 cup rolled oats (use one that specifies that it's from a dedicated gluten-free processing plant, or, if you can't handle oats as well as the more traditional grains, you can try rolled rice)
1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill, but I should think any all purpose mix should do)
1/2 cup rice bran
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoon cinnamon

Use a sprinkle of guar or xanthan gum to help hold it together. Not really sure how much, as I'll detail later.

Mix and sprinkle over rhubarb.

Cook at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

It doesn't get much simpler than that, right?

Well, a little experimentation might be in order to get the right texture. When I tried this the result was a much smoother, gooier crust than I remember Mom's crisp having. I might have used too much guar gum. Or maybe the all purpose flour wasn't coarse enough. The original recipe did specify whole wheat flour. But it tasted good, which is the main thing. For something like this, texture is really up to personal preferences. Next time I try this I may add a little millet flour or leave out the guar gum. Maybe mix some coarse oatmeal in with the rolled oats.

What's really great about simple recipes like this is that there's a lot more room for experimenting. At least there is for people like me who still burn things fairly regularly. (I'm getting better, mostly.)