May's Gluten-Free Recipe Rodeo

As promised in early May, here is a round-up of summer fresh gluten-free recipes, hand selected in the spirit of Celiac Awareness Month. So grab a glass of lemonade, park your carcass and kick your boots off, Honey. There are some mighty fine and tasty gluten-free recipes out there.

My theme? Grilling, picnic food, and dining al fresco. You'll find recipes for omnivores, vegans, ovo-lacto vegetarians and pescatarians. Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Margaritas For Two at Pinch My Salt
Amy Sherman's Curry Deviled Eggs
Nicole's Homemade Mayonnaise at Pinch My Salt
Carrot Mint Salad at Cookthink
Parmesan Crisps with Roasted Tomato Salsa from Karina
Bea's lovely savory tarts
Elise's Asparagus Frittata at Simply Recipes
Food Blogga's Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Fresh Pineapple Chutney
Curry Burgers and Southeast Asian Grilled Veggies from Rambling Spoon
Elise's Curry Rice Salad at Simply Recipes
Grilled Lime and Chile Chicken at Kalyn's Kitchen
Salmon Burgers from Wheat-Free Meat-Free
Book of Yum's Pesto Grilled Veggie Pizza

Sesame Chicken Salad from Coconut & Lime
Quinoa Salad with Shrimp, Cucumber, Mango & Mint from Hedonia
Texas Caviar Pasta Salad from Sugar Magnolia
Amy Sherman's Warm Steak and Orange Salad
Horseradish Spiked Red Potato Salad from Karina's Kitchen

Grilled Eggplant with Balsamic Honey Syrup from Alanna at A Veggie Venture
Grilled Nectarines with Honey Balsamic Glaze from MattBites
Goat Cheese Potato Gratin from Ilva at Lucullian Delights
Gluten-Free Bay's Quick and Easy Cilantro-Lime Broccoli Slaw
Kalyn's Kitchen Mango Salsa with Red Bell Pepper
My Calabasitas

Nami-Nami's No Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream
Ilva's Chocolate Cookies
Go Dairy Free's Brownie Bites
Nami-Nami's Coconut Cream with Poached Rhubarb
Oatmeal Date Chocolate Cookies a Heart Smart recipe from Mrs. GF
My Dark Chocolate Brownies

Food Blogs Now Featuring a Gluten-Free Category:

Cookthink
La Tartine Gourmande
Nami-Nami
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
101 Cookbooks
Go Dairy-Free
Hogwash

If you have a gluten-free label or section on your food blog- I'm sorry I missed you! Please feel free to leave your link in Comments below and I'll add it in (and thanks for thinking of us gluten-free folks!).

For a list of Gluten-Free Blogs- see the I Blog Gluten-Free Bloggers List.

And what about that luscious looking yellow tomato salad featured at the top of this round-up post?

So easy it's scary.


Yellow Tomato Salad

Pick the most ripe and juicy tomatoes you can find and you won't need to fuss.

5-6 medium sized vine-ripe yellow tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons good fruity extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Fresh chopped parsley or basil, as needed
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Tip: If it's hot out, chill your serving plate first.

Arrange the sliced yellow tomatoes on a chilled salad plate. Drzzle with the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Dust with fresh herbs. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Serves 4.

Daring Bakers Start Your Opera Cakes!

I had never even heard of an Opera cake until this month! The flavor combinations were so hard to choose from and the idea of assembling this cake sounded like a LOT of fun. I chose Amaretto flavoring with added fresh Bing cherries.
A HUGE hug to Ivonne, Lis, and co-hosts Fran and Shea for this fabulous new adventure! An Opera Cake. . .who would have thunk??! I have been working 6 days a week and finishing college stuff so put the challenge off till the very last. I really wish I could have squeezed it in sooner because I had a few questions to ask but instead, just pushed my way through. I melted chocolate again. . .two months in a row. Deep pride here! I may just get the hang of this yet. The buttercream frosting recipe was delicious, beautiful, and a keeper for upcoming cake baking events. I loved the creaminess and the vanilla bean seeds along with being able to flavor the frosting in any way that I can think of. A huge find! An almond cake base. How cool is that? I wonder what pistachio would taste like instead of almond? I am writing mental notes as I type. The top white chocolate glaze. . .was soooo thick and I had trouble smoothing the surface. I noticed in the Daring Baker Forum tonight that there are so many perfect looking Opera cakes! I guess I am going to have to investigate to find out what I did wrong. . .BUT the flavor of the overall cake is delicious! I am dying to bake this again when I can take a deep breath. I am going to have to look into the other flavor combinations that my team Daring Bakers have come up with to inspire my next attempt =D.

The new forum sure makes it easy to see how everyone else is doing and see what has been posted. What a great transition.

Thank you for another Wow Challenge! Here is the recipe as Posted by our wonderful hosts:

A Taste of Light: Opéra Cake

This recipe is based on Opéra Cake recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.

For the joconde
(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:
•2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans
(Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
•parchment paper
•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup
(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:
•a small saucepan

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.)

1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream
(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)
(Update Note: The recipe for the buttercream that is listed below was originally based on the original but we had some typos. It's all very confusing (we're good at confusing ourselves) but here is the short of it: When testing the buttercream, we tested a modified version (we're crazy like that!!!) that had 2 cups sugar, ½ cup water and 1¾ cups butter. Yes. That's right. 1¾ cups of butter. The eggs remained the same. We ended up with a very creamy buttercream. VERY. CREAMY. But we don’t want anyone to be afraid of our modified version so you have the option of using the original version listed below or the quantities we’ve listed here in this note. If you are still confused and want to cry, then please e-mail us and we will comfort you!!! We promise!!!)

What you’ll need:
•a small saucepan
•a candy or instant-read thermometer
•a stand mixer or handheld mixer
•a bowl and a whisk attachment
•rubber spatula

Ingredients:
1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) water seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your buttercream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured buttercream, then by all means leave it out!)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)

1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse
(this step is optional – please see Elements of an Opéra Cake below) (Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.)

What you’ll need:
•a small saucepan
•a mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients:
7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.

2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.

3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.

4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.

5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.

6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze
(Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

What you’ll need:
•a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:
14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.

2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.

3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake
(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.

Step A (if using buttercream only and not making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

Step B (if making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

CALLING ALL BAKERS: Cookies for Soldiers

I received this message (below) Monday...only too appropriate for Memorial Day, I think. This is not a request for decorated cookies, but homemade cookies for soldiers for Father's Day. I thought this was an nice way to say thank you to our soldiers....and I want to say a personal "thank you" to my brother-in-law who came home from Iraq last week and to my dad, who doesn't talk about it much, but served in Vietnam. Thanks, guys...we are so proud of you!

"My Son-In-Law is in Afghanistan and is the father of two boys. There are many many fathers in his FOB (forward operating base) that just would enjoy simple homemade 'American style' cookies. We are talking basic peanut butter, chocolate chip, and oatmeal. Nothing fancy and not too heavy on the chocolate, it melts and is a mess if it is too heavy.

I am trying to arrange for folks to send some cookies to the FOBs on the outskirts and to those lower ranking guys, as my SIL puts it, those getting killed. He has agreed to pass them out to every enlisted Dad he can find.... He said most of them are dads but so many are out of touch with their families. They don't have Internet access yet but can phone if they are lucky enough to have an Afghani international phone. Very few do. Almost all without exception are there on a 15 month tour, him included.

To get to them in time for Father's Day they need to be sent by June 4th."

If you are interested in participating, please leave a comment with a way for me to contact you or click the "email me" link at the very bottom of this blog, and I will get the address to you. Thanks so much! Godspeed to our soldiers!

Gluten-Free Mint Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Mint chocolate cookies and a glass of ice cold hemp milk.

I'll say it up front. For all those perceptive Readers out there. This post? It's a redux slash revamp of a previous chocolate cookie recipe. Why? Because Darling, we are always tweaking and gently nudging recipes toward perfection around here. Though as you and I well know, perfection is unattainable (in the gluten-free vegan baking world, that is). But we can come close. Very close.

And with this latest peppermint chocolate chip incarnation we are a good nibble closer to the best chocolate cookie yet. So of course, I had to tweak and share. These remind me of those Girl Scout cookies called Thin Mints. Except they're chubby (though I suppose one could flatten them a bit if one was so inclined).

These peppermint laced fudgy sweethearts are crisp chocolate goodness.

We freeze ours and serve them slightly chilled. Those of you more adept at fancy baking could try creating heart shapes. (I never have the patience to fuss with dough. I'm more of rustic make a mess in the kitchen blasting Neil Finn kind of baker than a precise "mis en place" to Sarah Brightman kind of gal. But if cookie cutters are your middle name? Knock yourself out.)

These are lovely warm from the oven with an ice cold glass of vanilla hemp milk (pictured is Hemp Dream).

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Lime Chicken Taco Fun

 Fast + delicious- lime chicken tacos.

Grilling season is upon us. But don't you worry, Sweetcakes. This particular gluten-free goddess is not going to waste a heartbeat lamenting hot dog buns. And I'm not going to spend hours in the kitchen trying to replicate hamburger rolls, that even in their wheat loaded incarnation were more of a starchy dry-as-dirt nuisance. Something invented to hold the all fixins' together, but that, when push came to shove, I ended up tearing off piece by piece, peeling around the edges to get to the good stuff.

This was ages before the California In N Out protein style burger was invented (which was, in my humble, wheat-free opinion, sheer, utter low carb genius). Who knew a burger wrapped in lettuce leaves would be so darn tasty? But I digress. Let's get back to the barbecue question.

Are you going to pine for long lost spongy buns?

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Tostada Nueva- an easy gluten-free lunch

 The tostada- made fresh + light

The recent summer weather has nudged me out of my primavera surliness and ignited my desire to paint again. I suddenly feel energized. Focused. Turned on. I've been toning wood and masonite panels left, right and upside down, laying on thick and juicy strokes of pigmented Gesso in rose, peach and ocher- warmth as a foil to my preferred palette for brushy skies and abstractions.

This is a welcome turn. As many of you know, it's been a somewhat weird and challenging seven months. It feels good to be back in my tiny studio again, blasting music and standing upright, paint brush in hand.

And what have I been eating this hot and breezy week, you ask?

Have I got a quick and easy solution for those sultry summer nights when it's too damn hot to turn on the oven. I'm calling the recipe Tostada Nueva. This is not your typical fried corn tortilla topped with shredded iceberg lettuce, red tomatoes and ground beef. Nope. It's light and fresh and snappy. And it's dairy-free (translation- cheese-less) so you can serve it to your GFCF Sweethearts.

I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Tortillas (thanks to a Fabulous Reader who turned me on to TJ's new gluten-free brown rice wraps) for the tostada base. The rice tortillas cooked up flaky and just crisp enough. I fried them briefly in my iron skillet with a splash of light olive oil.

Tostada Nueva

I topped my brown rice tostada with slices of Applegate Farms Honey and Maple Turkey Breast and pieces of cooked and crispy (nitrate free!) Sunday Bacon, but you could use any of your favorite deli meat. The heirloom yellow tomatoes are bright and citrusy- perfect for summer.

For each person you'll need:

1 brown rice tortilla-wrap
Olive oil, as needed
3 slices of Applegate Farms Honey Maple Turkey
2-3 pieces of crispy cooked Applegate Farms Sunday Bacon
A handful of organic baby greens
1 smallish yellow tomato, sliced

Honey Mustard Dressing

Whisk together, per person-

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey mustard
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 dab of agave nectar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

If you are making dressing for four servings, I might quadruple all the ingredients listed except for the garlic- one clove is probably enough.

Assemble your ingredients.

Just before you are ready to eat, heat a little olive oil in a medium hot skillet. Fry the brown rice tortilla on both sides, briefly, until it is slightly golden and crisp. Remove with tongs and place the hot tortilla on a serving plate. (Drain it on a paper towel first, if you like.)

Top with the turkey, fresh baby greens, yellow tomato slices and cooked bacon. Drizzle with the Honey Mustard Dressing. Season with more sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Boom. Dinner is done.

Does it get any easier?

Serve with a side of my Easy Guacamole with Lime. Or how about some of my Horseradish Spiked Red Potato Salad?

Note: I like Applegate Farms because their products are organic, nitrate and antibiotic free, as well as gluten and casein free. Not to mention, delicious.

Thank you, thank you very much!

I am a big fan of thank you cookies! The latest were for my son's faith formation teachers...you have to love the people that volunteer their time every week to teach, they are amazing, and they make it fun! (Instructions for these cookiesbelow.)

I love the little hearts on these. When I worked at a preschool, one of my students was from Japan, and whenever her mother sent a note to school, the a's, o's and g's all had little hearts inside them. I thought that was the cutest thing...I loved getting notes from that mom and she inspired the hearts on these cookies.

These were for a thank-you gift for a friend's OB and staff after her baby was born. I think they are my favorite.

To decorate "thank you" cookies as shown at the top:

• Using a #2 or #3 tip, outline cookies in white royal icing.
• Thin royal icing with water in the background color to the consistency of thick syrup, cover with a damp towel and let sit several minutes. (AmeriColor Avocado)
• Stir gently using a rubber spatula to break any bubbles that have formed on the surface and pour icing into a squeeze bottle.
• Fill in cookies with the flood icing, using a toothpick to spread into corners.
• Let dry at least 1 hour.
• Using a #1 or #2 tip (test your writing on a plate first to see which looks best and which you are more comfortable with), pipe "thank you" on the cookies in white icing. (I start from the middle letter in the middle of the cookies and work my way out.)
• Using a #1 tip, pipe hearts (a fat "v") in the center of the a and o and for the exclamation point. (for the salmon-y hearts above, I used just a bit of AmeriColor Super Red.)

Red Potato Salad with Horseradish

Serve this horseradish spiked red potato salad warm or cold

Ready for some spud love? Here's one of my favorite potato salad recipes. And just in time. Summer has arrived almost instantaneously here in the desert north of Santa Fe. Last week I was layering t-shirts and hoodies to keep warm. I stood shivering at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market (wind always makes me cranky). It felt more like March than May. This weekend? It was quintessential summer weather. Hot bright sun. Dry air. An almost too-warm casita. We turned on the ceiling fans.

On weekends like this you kick off your shoes and peel off your long sleeved black jersey, opting instead for the lime green tank top. You feel your bones begin to knit as you soak up the longer daylight and linger by the roadside during post-dinner walks in the rose hued sun. You smile at the young jackrabbits and their impossibly erect ears. And your thoughts turn to dining al fresco, sitting beneath the dappled shade of the portal with a chilled glass of white and a zesty potato salad. Life in the slow lane.

Last night's Twitter:

Cheap thrills in the desert: S is making animal sounds to alarm a jackrabbit. The sound that makes it freeze in terror? A chicken cluck.

Horseradish Spiked Red Potato Salad Recipe

If you really, really prefer sour cream or mayonnaise in your red potato salad- by all means, Babycakes, add some in. But if you've never tried a mayo-free dairy-free version of this popular summer side dish, why not give my vegan potato salad a whirl? You might even make some new friends at your next barbecue. Those vegans? Sprouting up everywhere these days.

2 to 2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
Sea salt
1/4 cup fruity tasting extra virgin olive oil, as needed
4-6 tablespoons apple cider or rice vinegar, to taste
1 smallish red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish- I used Bubbies
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1-2 teaspoons dill, to taste
1 teaspoon caraway seeds- optional

Wash and cut up the red potatoes, toss them into a pot of salted fresh water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer the potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain well.

Pour the cooked potatoes into a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. Toss to coat and to soften the edges of the potatoes pieces a bit. Add the diced onion, horseradish and toss to distribute. Taste and season with more sea salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper. Add the chopped parsley, dill and caraway; mix.

Taste test. Add more olive oil or vinegar, sea salt or herbs.

Serve warm (so yummy!) or cover and chill.

Remember that chilling the potato salad will subdue its flavor considerably. I always season my potato salad more vigorously if I am going to serve it chilled. Taste test after chilling it and add more seasoning if it needs it.

Serves 6 to 8.

Printer-friendly recipe

Karina's Notes:

This a food allergy friendly recipe- it is gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free.

If you're not a fan of horseradish try my Champagne Vinegar Potato Salad recipe.

Blueberry Oat Muffins

Gluten-free blueberry oat muffins.

We woke to the sound of water. It is raining in the desert this morning. The overflow is spilling over the edges of the canales, splashing onto the wedges of flagstone scattered in the sand around our casita. It feels like we are living inside a Zen fountain- waterfalls on all sides. The mesa is hidden in mist. The air is heavy with the scent of juniper and wet bark. I am deeply comforted by all of this.

Moisture is a rare commodity here.

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Meringue Cake with Strawberries &Cream

I saw a strawberry bed in a flower catalog that is a triple decker strawberry bed. The design is just like a three-tiered wedding cake with the top layer being the smallest, sitting on the second layer that is bigger, and both of these sitting on the last layer that is the biggest. It looks just like the one in this picture. What you may not see is that there is a sprinkler system in this set-up also. I was thinking that the addition of round rock to the outside of the beds would be a perfect deterant for slugs ~ along with slug bait, of course =0).

I am grateful that even with all the crazy, cold weather, my spring bulbs still managed to survive. I think a peaceful afternoon should always consist of a stroll through your flowers. The fragileness and beauty is always so uplifting. Dinner instantly goes from leftovers to making something a little more innovative. . .even if that means a fresh casserole. And then there is dessert.

I love strawberries. The plump berries colored bright red, the pretty green stem, the memory of how sweet and fresh they taste always gets to me the minute I walk into the grocery store for something I just have to have for a dinner ingredient. I notoriously end up walking out of the store with at least a quart package of beautiful berries. The problem? By the time I get to the berries for making a dessert, exhaustion sets in and I just figure that I will make something with them tomorrow night. . .only. . .tomorrow night never comes. Then the berries are sitting in the refrigerator, taunting me! Can I get away with wasting them just this once? Nope, my conscience is kicking me in the rear-end! I plug in the Ipod, blank out the soon-to-be distant memory of vegging on the couch for the last 2 hours before bed and get to work. What will I bake with these delectable berries? A meringue Cake! I have had this recipe sitting in my recipe holder for months, waiting for the right berries AND TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!

I slice my berries, and I would now like to say that they are delicious, juicy, AND beautiful! I then mix up the cake batter and pour the thick concoction into my prepared cake pans, smooth the batter out, and whip up the meringue. I smooth out my meringue so that my freshly whipped heavy cream will have a wonderful pallette to rest on while holding the strawberry slices. Now I am wondering why I didn't make this earlier in the week? The recipe didn't take that long, even with me improvising, like I always do =0).

The cake is moist and the meringue is perfectly crunchy on the outside with a soft, sweet interior. The heavy cream is only the thickest, organic heavy cream I could find at Pike's Place Market in Seattle. The recipe came from Joyofcakes.com and the recipe was put together by none other then ME =0D.

Meringue Cake with Strawberries & Cream
Ingredients:
4 large egg yolks
1 c. sifted cake flour
1 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt (just give the ingredients a dusting)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 c. granulated white sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/4 c. milk

Meringue Layer:
4 large egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar
1/2 c. granulated white sugar
1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

Topping:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. granulated white sugar
1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced (Add a little sugar if necessary)
Confectioners Sugar (powdered or icing) for dusting top of cake


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Grease and flour two - 8 x 1 1/2 inches (20 x 3.75 cm) round cake pans. Set aside.


Separate the eggs while they are still cold, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).


In a mixing bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the vanilla extract.


With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula. Set aside while you make the meringue layer.
In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Beat in the vanilla extract.


Divide the meringue between the two cake pans, gently smoothing the tops with an offset spatula. Bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The meringue layers will have turned a light brown and will be crisp to the touch but soft inside. Place the pans on a wire rack to cool. When completely cooled, remove from pans.


Shortly before serving whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Slice the strawberries and, if necessary, add a little sugar to sweeten them. Place one of the cake layers, meringue side down, on a serving platter. Spread or pipe half of the whipping cream onto the cake and top with half the strawberries. Gently place the second cake layer, cake side down so the meringue layer is facing up, onto the first layer. Spread or pipe the rest of the whipping cream and then strawberries on top of the meringue. Dust with confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar. If not eating immediately, cover and place in the refrigerator until serving time. The assembled cake will hold in the refrigerator for a few hours.

LIVESTRONG with a Taste of Yellow ~ roundup

Today is LiveSTRONG Day. Winos and Foodies has posted all of the 179 entries from bloggers received for LiveSTRONG with a Taste of Yellow event. You can find the posts here and here. All of the contributions look really amazing. I love that Barbara of Winos and Foodies commented on each and every entry! My wonderful family even got a mention...it made me cry all over again! My entry of Yellow Rose Sugar Cookies is here.

Pork Roast with Mushrooms and Brown Sugar Apricot-Pomegranate Sauce

Slow cooker pork roast with apricot jam.

My first pork roast recipe- ever. And it's a home run. I apologize for the sports metaphor but I've been sitting at my desk for an hour. And not a single sentence has been birthed. Even after one hot mother of a mug of coffee (and a decaf peppermint green tea that really doesn't count because, well, it's tea), I'm still in a post Sunday fog today, basking in the afterglow of a Sunday afternoon spent with friends. We ate and drank our way through six hours of non-stop conversation. I get all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. And I'm more than a little tempted to wax poetic about friendship and how we choose our true family and what a head banging blue-in-the-face relief it is to sit at a table with soulful people who wrestle with big questions and hunger for authenticity and integrity while also making you laugh out loud without covering your teeth and feel proud of your mayo-free potato salad.

But I won't. I'll tell you about my first pork roast instead.

I'll say it up front. It took decades to get me here- to ease into a place in my life where I might actually, finally, consider buying a hunk of pork and roasting it. I started off slowly, slyly, trying turkey bacon ten years ago. Then I graduated to the real deal roughly six years ago. Organic Sunday smoked bacon. Nitrate-free, of course. And when my body did not protest and the world as I knew it did not go up in a hellish ball of blistering flames, I decided to move on to the hard stuff. I was ready.

It was finally time to roast a pork loin. And Dear Reader- was I intimidated. You know it. In fact yours truly was almost quaking in her Rocket Dogs. Well, maybe not quaking. More like, shivery-nervous. So I decided two things.

First- that I would use my trusty slow cooker. Simple. Familiar. Not too much to screw up. Second- that I would make a sauce with pomegranate juice and a jar of apricot jam. It just seemed like a good fit.

And guess what? Tender, juicy, tangy-sweet deliciousness ensued.

Read >>

Pomegranate Smoothie - Dairy-Free

Pomegranate smoothie- dairy-free bliss.

I'm delirious. I could blame it on the wind. There is a loco spring wind here in New Mexico, you know. And it can make you, well. Crazy. It rough rides up the Chama River like nobody's business and bitch slaps the mesa behind us. It buffets the casita absolutely senseless and whips tumbleweeds into missiles. I'm not kidding. There are moments when you wonder if the roof will lift off. 

You start looking out the window for flying monkeys. 

So you hunker down and pull out pots and pans to conjure mashed potatoes into colcannon just to cope. You bake comforting Roasted Vegetable Lasagna. You feel like whipping up your own brand of frenzy.

In the gentle guise of a vegan smoothie.

Because you crave pomegranate. We all know deep and vibrant hued fruits are good for us. You've read about all those studies, right? How all those yummy antioxidants and goodies like anthocyanin feed our brains and keep us sharp, on the edge, where we need to be?

Psychology Today reports that preliminary results indicate that people who eat a cup of blueberries a day perform 5 percent to 6 percent better than a control group on tests of motor skills. I'm not good at math (will blueberries help?) so I'm unsure if "5 to 6 percent better" is a huge deal, but, Hey. For the sake of my asymmetrical motor skills (I was the Aspie geek who was never- ever- picked for any team in school) I'm willing to eat a few more blueberries, pomegranates and cranberries. Not because I harbor hopes of better motor skills.

But because they taste so good.

Read >>

Pesto Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Wraps- Gluten & Wheat Free

Brown rice tortillas wrap it all up.

Flour tortillas and sandwich wraps have always been a favorite around here. How simple can you get? Throw some deli, salad greens, tomatoes, avocado and dressing onto a soft flaky tortilla and boom. You've got a meal. A portable meal, in fact. Perfect for picnics. Customizable. Accommodating. And tasty as all get out. What could be easier? It's clear why America has gone wrap crazy.

You lovely and talented wheat-eaters out there get all kinds of choices- whole grain lavash, flax and spinach wraps, low carb, garlic herb, and classic flour tortillas. But a gluten-free wrap is tough to come by. Your intrepid goddess at large has been mourning her wraps and lime infused burritos for quite a few sad and wrapless years now. And I'm sorry- those teff wraps you can sometimes find in the health food store? Please don't e-mail me about them. They smell so funky- like a gym sock used yesterday in some unspeakable act- although they do roll around a tube of fresh ingredients with a flexibility akin to the flour tortillas I vaguely recall. I might even try them again- if I can just get past the smell. Perhaps I could pinch my nose while munching.

The best gluten-free wrap I've tried is Food for Life's brown rice tortillas. If you nab a package when they are piping fresh and pliable, you're in for a treat. The problem is, they turn stale faster than Madonna's reinventions. And far too often you tear open (what you thought was) a fresh package from your local Whole Foods only to cry slow tears of salty frustration when your much anticipated wrap falls apart and splits into an unappetizing melange du jour you sullenly eat with a fork.

Read >>

Sour Cream Coffee Cake - From Taste and Tell

I have a "ton" of cookbooks with marked recipes and recipes printed out from websites that I just have to try. I have cooking magazines in order by date and name that have post-its sticking out of each magazine for recipes I am just "dying" to try. I believe there are over 3,000 magazines, uhmmm. . .I lost count trying to see. No, I didn't get all these by myself. I inherited all my Mom's cooking magazines, like the Bon Apetit ones from when I was just a little girl. Those, by the way, are soooo much fun to read and see what was the happening food of the decade. I thought I would like belonging to cooking groups on the internet a lot more then I actually do. You know the ones like sourdough cooking, taste of home group, campsite cooking, and bread groups. I just end up with tons of emails with recipes I do not have time to go through. Before Yahoo email started messing up my emails by deleting them daily, I had over 60,000 emails. . .no spam, just recipes and responses for these people talking to each other about the posted recipes.

Blogging feels more like an interaction with people around the world. I love it and I am totally hooked. The downside to this? I find and SEE the most beautiful food. People outside my immediate circle have the same interests and desire to try, test, and challenge themselves to create a food masterpiece in the hopes of discovering a new taste, flavor, or a relaxed moment of contemplation on what is being tried. Happiness is usually in the pleasure of others enjoying a new food creation. Maybe the creation is not new. Maybe it is a comfort food from the past. Blogging discovers other fellow food aficianados tastes in what comfort is and I get the inside scoop on all the mouth-watering details. Grouprecipes. com is my other joy for finding fantastic culinary ideas!

Well, I am definitely with Deborah at Taste and Tell when she starts talking about breakfast on the weekends. We love breakfast and look forward to Saturday with high hopes! This Saturday was no exception and when Deborah started talking about this sour cream coffee cake that she tested in her Barefoot Contessa cookbook; well, I knew this recipe was a must try because I adore coffeecakes and they are easy to put together while I am still not quite awake in the morning! We all nibbled on this wonderfully moist coffee cake all weekend. I even had a little left over to share with a couple co-workers Monday and they wanted the recipe to share with their wives. This whole cycle started from one blog entry. How COOL is that?!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

For the Cake

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Streusel

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.
Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.
Serves 8 to 10

More monograms...

A few more monogrammed cookies to go along with the last post...

These monogrammed wedding cakes are probably my favorite. I made them for a bridal shower with the couple's first initials.