My first gluten free meal, easy!

Hi! So I made my first gluten free meal, it was so easy and good. First off, I would like to state for the record that I have been vegetarian for a full 3 months which I have been very proud of. However, to go gluten free and maintain not eating meat will leave me short of food and nutrients so I have temporarily incorporated organic chicken back into my diet while being gluten free. So here it is: chicken, lentils, grilled veggies, and salad. The appetizer was artichoke olive oil spread on rice tortillas for me and on toasted bread for Phil. I cooked the chicken in the oven on 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. The lentils were from Trader Joes, just heat and serve, and they were very good. The rest was just grilled veggies: zucchini and carrots. The salad had gluten free greek dressing too. I was so proud!

I should have arranged the meal to look more presentable but I was in such a hurry to eat I just took a quick snap! ~~A~~

Gourmet Cook!

It can be hard sometimes if one person in a relationship is trying to adhear to a way of eating and the other person is not on board. That is my situation right now. I have been struggling with acne my entire life (pretty much) and I did some research about how gluten may affect it. I found many stories about people who went "gluten free" and their skin becoming clear. My friend Kristie DeStefano who is also my Arbonne Independent Consultant introduced me to this idea of trying to take out all toxins from the diet for 30 days and we're talking everything! The 30 day plan was too much for me so I just decided to try going gluten free only. For the most part it has not been too hard but a little bit frustrating from time to time. I will blog more about this whole thing later. Until then, my boyfriend Phil still likes traditional American food and/or kid food to satisfy him. He's my Shugy bear and I love to make him happy! This picture shows what a Gourmet Cook I can be....JK!!! ~~A~~

Superfood Berry Smoothie!

So yesterday I completley fell off the "superfood diet" and ate nothing but bread, bread, cheesecake, bread, cheesecake, cheesecake, bread. Hey, nobody is perfect. Apparently my body was craving some CARBS!!!! So this morning I tried to get back into my healthy routine by mixing up one of the smoothies. Here are the ingredients again (a little different from last time).

In order from left to right: chopper (a house warming gift from my sistert Amanda), organic frozen blueberries, organic frozen rasberries, coconut chips, 3 raw cacao beans (any more than that and I'll feel sick), "Brown cow" organic vanilla yogurt, Pom (pomegranate) juice, Naked Blue Machine juice, Acai superfood powder, chopped fresh organic strawberries! Red cutting board (gift from the mom) and chopper/scraper for lifting small crumbs (gift to myself from Ross).

Now I feel better! ~~A~~

Shugy-bear's Birthday! AKA Phil's Birthday!

On Phil's birthday I found out I was selected to be a contestant in a game show from 12pm-9pm so I had to squeeze as much fun as possible in before and after! (And please, don't ask about the results of the game show) I made him a large breakfast that consisted of 3 different kinds of mini quiches (not homemade, from Trader Joe's), bacon for him, veggie sausage for me, eggs with cheese, pancakes (which I found out he doesn't like), toast, cherries, orange juice, and coffee! He opened his gifts during breakfast and most of the stuff I bought him didn't fit; looks like I'll be doing some returns this week. But one thing that did fit was our Magic Mountain tickets that we will be using next Monday, hooray!!! I am not sure who is more excited, him or me?

So, fast forward thru 9 hours of sitting in a boring "holding" room at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood, when I came back he wanted me to do the usual: "Get in the kitchy" (kitchen). So I obliged because it was his birthday. I made exactly what he requested: chicken tortellini (filled with pesto, spinach, and cheese) alfredo, salad, garlic bread, and red wine. Everything came out delisous!

Last but not least I made him his cheesecake. I had to beg him to let me light candles and sing to him but it made us both happy in the end.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET SHUGY BEAR PHIL!!!!! ~~A~~

Superfood Frenzy

In the past I have actually been quite opposed to health foods including restaurants that specialize in the subject.
I recently watched the documentary Food Matters and it really meant a lot to me. If you have Netflix, it is an instant watch; if you don't please rent it anyways. As a general synopsis it exposes the reality behind how the foods we eat are more significant in our health (on the macro level) than most people realize. The foods and vitamins that we do or do not put in our body are directly related to the cause and treatment of cancer. After watching this movie I feel like there IS a cure for cancer but most doctors do not advocate these alternative ideas because they are not taught this in medical school and/or it is not bringing profits to pharmaceutical companies. I went to Whole Foods and bought some things that I will really have to make an effort towards keeping consistent in my diet. Some of the things I bought include: raw cacao beans, goji berries, organic acai juice, organic frozen blueberries, flax seed, organic milk and yogurt (unpasteurized)(only lasts for 7 days), prunes, coconut chips, wheatgrass juice, blueberry acai superfood cereal, acai powder mix, and lots of organic fruits and vegetables. Most importantly!!! I bought SUSHI!!! I have always hated sushi but after hearing about the cancer rates and life expectancy for the Asian countries I have decided that I must force myself to start eating sushi and drinking green tea.

If you are a normal person with normal desires in life it will be significantly hard to incorporate or completely change to eating only these superfoods. I am trying to take it slowly, one day at a time. I have become vegetarian and now I am slowly trying to add in these foods to my daily routine. I am also trying to drink 1-3 glasses of water (most likely 1) first thing in the morning before consuming anything else.

Today I started with one glass of water, then my usual coffee craving crept in so I had one gigantic cup with organic milk and splenda plus a Luna bar (I finally found the coconut one Larissa told me about!!!)! For lunch I had a smoothie made of organic acai juice, flax seed, organic blueberries, and organic yogurt. As a snack I had prunes. As a late afternoon snack I had 4 pieces of sushi. And for dinner (I splurged) and had spinach and chive alfredo pasta, garlic toast, salad, and white wine. See, I started off great, then I came back to planet earth. I ended the night with a happy balance: a few oreos and a cup of green tea : )

Next time one of my family members says to me, "Oh MY God Andrea you are soo skinny!!!" I hope they see that I am not starving myself but I am eating a healthy diet that will support me accomplishing my goal in life: living till I am 100. Who else is on board?! Sure it may not always be pleasant (the raw cacao beans almost made me puke; the goji berries stick in your teeth like taffy so you can't get the horrible dirt taste out of your mouth; the acai cereal is so heavy, only about a 1/4 a cup will suffice; prunes? really? need I say more; coconut chips, also mad me nauseous. Some of the other stuff I haven't even tried yet!

So if you are reading this, please feel free to commiserate, share, brag, question, or comment on this post. Hoping everyone can become healthy enough to live till they are 100. And while doing so, pray for world peace. Remember if we all think the same thing together, it will manifest!!!!!

Love,
Andrea
 

Aunt Tammy's Casserole

After going out with my boyfriend for a few months I asked him what his absolute favorite food was and he responded, "Aunt Tammy's Casserole". After a little bit of research I was able to find this recipe and make it for him. I've made it twice and so far every time he's eaten it faster than I can take a picture! (haha, JK, I just forgot).

Recipe: 1 lb. ground beef

small chopped onion

3-4 ounces cream cheese (or 8 ounces per my boyfriend's request)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can corn with liquid (don't drain)

1 "soup can" milk  (this was confusing to me so I just assumed evaporated milk so that's what I used)

1 package egg noodles (nearly cooked)

Bring water to boil for noodles. Brown ground beef and onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Add cream cheese and mix up until cheese is mostly melted. Add soup, corn, and milk; stir together. Add egg noodles. Add more milk if needed to cvoer all noodles. Put in casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Even though I dont' have a picture of Phil getting his Aunt Tammy's casserole, here is how he looked when I gave it to him. This picture below is a good example of what happens several times a day in our apartment :) Here he was getting the Oatmeal-coconut chocolate bar aka flapjack.

After I made it twice Phil told me that his Aunt Tammy didn't acutally bake it in a casserole dish that she just cooked and served it from a large crock-pot. I have really wanted a crock-pot for quite sometime so this may be the motivation I need to finally invest in one! And below is a picture of him getting one of his favorites: Ice cream-coffee milkshake (served in a wine glass).

"Dats a happy shugy"

Arbonne party

As a way to get to know some ladies in California I decided to throw a little makeup party with the help of an Arbonne consultant I met a few weeks ago at a boutique in Sherman Oaks called Roni B with Larissa. The Arbonne consultant named Kristie Destefano came over and presented all of her products; they are really great products and I am purchasing some interesting items to try out. I prepared by making some homemade treats that all turned out well. Everyone thought I was a really good cook~! I made the coconut flapjacks and mini quiches (that I have mentioned on previous blogs) as well as some apple gingerbread. I had a cheese and cracker platter, strawberries, hummus, pistachios, baguette, and wine. I am also pleased to say the whole feast was completley vegetarian : ) I really had fun and hope I can do it again sometime!

As you can see I need some more serving platters~! The plastic surfboard shaped plate my mom bought me for $0.10 cents at Big Lots came in handy! ~~A~~

Lemon bars for Larissa and Miriam

When Larissa and Miriam came over to visit I wanted to welcome them with something so I made some lemon bars; however, my boyfriend ended up liking them more than anybody and practically ate the entire plate!

Recipe:

Crust: 1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup natural apple sauce

2 tablespoons of melted margarine

Lemon filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

1/3 cup natural apple sauce

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

additional powder sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. To prepare crust, in a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour and powdered sugar. Add 1/4 cup apple sauce and margarine. Stir with fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes.

3. To prepare lemon filling, in bowl, beat granulated sugar, egg whites and whole egg until smooth. Add 1/3 cup apple sauce, lemon peel, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons flour and baking powder. Beat until blended. Pour lemon filling over baked crust.

4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until just very slighly brown. Cool completley on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

The only problem with these (yes, there is always some little problem) is that I did not have the right sized pan. I made an effort to "section" off my rectangle pan but the filling just pooled around it; thus causing some of the filling to be wasted and the crust to be too thick in relation to the filling. My boyfriend definitley didn't care though! ~~A~~

Best Luna Bar Yet!

This is by far my favorite flavor of Luna Bar. I have tried just about every flavor over the past few years and after trying this one I immediately bought another, and... another:) This Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar tastes like a yummy Girl Scout cookie! 

~L~

Sun-dried tomato rolls (not as good as they sound)

Larissa and I were so busy with shopping, talking, hiking, coloring hair, and doing makeup that by the time we realized we needed to cook it was already getting very late. We decided to make these sun-dried tomato rolls that were good, but not worth the 4 hours of effort! Maybe we are not cut out yet (nor have the patience for) for the joys of yeast baking quite yet. And yes, there were a few minor slip-ups here and there (like forgetting to "brush with milk) therefore I may try these again someday when I have many countless hours to spend in the kitchen.

Recipe: 1/2 cup butter, melted, cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing

1 1/2 cups strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting

1/2 tsp salt

1 envelope active dry yeast

3 tbsp lukewarm milk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 3/4 oz. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped

milk for brushing

1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with a little butter

2. Strain the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the dry yeast then pour in the melted butter, milk, and eggs. Bring together to form a dough.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth. Alternatively, use an electric mixer with a dough hook.

4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

5. Punch down the dough for 2-3 minutes. Knead the sun-dried tomatoes into the dough, sprinkling the counter with extra flour, because the tomatoes are oily.

6. Divide the dough into 8 even-size balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes, or until the rolls have doubled in size.

7. Brush the rolls with milk and bake in a preheated oven, 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until they are brown.

8. Transfer the tomato rolls to a wire rack to let cool slightly before serving.

Alright, I have officially decided I am making these again. As I typed the recipe up, I realized there were several minor mistakes made. I will make them again tonight and tell you how they turn out!

~~A~~

Coconut Flapjacks (better tasting than they sound!)

Horray, Larissa came to visit me! We knew it wouldn't be right for the two Cuties to spend 3 days together and not get in the kitchen...SO, we made a few things. One of them was Coconut Flapjacks and as you can see by the blog title, they are much better tasting than they sound.

Recipe:

1 cup butter, plus extra for greasing

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp light corn syrup

3.5 cups rolled oats

1 cup dry unsweetened coconut (we used sweetened and they turned out really good)

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Lightly grease a 12X9 inch pan with butter.

2. Heat the butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup in a large pan over low heat until just melted.

3. Stir in the oats and shredded coconut and mis well until evenly combined.

4. Place the mixutre on the prepared pan. Spread evenly across the cookie sheet and level the surface by pressing with a spatula.

5. Bake the flapjack in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden.

6. Meanwhile in a double boiler melt the chocolate chips, stirring constantly. When the flapjacks are done, pour the melted chocolate on top and spread evenly. (Or if you don't have a double boiler, you can improvise like me with a small skillet balancing on top of a saucepan, be careful!)

7. Let it fully cool for about 1-2 hours (you can cover it and put it in the refrigerator)

The best thing about these is that they are FAST! Besides the cooling part, they can be done and in the oven in a matter of seconds so they are good if you need a quick sweet treat, like I need a lot!

In my opinion these are much better than oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and beware, you will need milk when you eat these!

~~A~~

Prayers to Japan & Italian Bread Pudding

I LOVE bread pudding but I (unlike most people) do not like it with raisens in it (which is very rare to find). For my last birthday my mom made me some bread pudding without raisens just especially for me and it was wonderful. That's why this recipe appealed to me so much. I made this recipe as I send hope, prayers and my heart to all the victims in Japan. I am thankful that I have the ability to make this when so many others can not afford this luxury.

Recipe: 

butter for greasing

2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into rings (you may need more depending on the size of your baking dish)

generous 1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp white wine

3 1/2 oz. bread, sliced with crusts removed (slightly stale French baguette is ideal)

1 1/4 cups light cream

2 eggs, beaten

pared rind of 1 orange, cut into thin sticks

1. Grease a 5 cup ovenproof dish (I just used the good ol' 16 inch baking pan that I use for everything)

2. Arrange the apple rings across the base of the dish, overlapping them, then sprinkle half of the sugar over the apples. 

3. Pour the wine over the apples. Add the bread slices, pushing them down with your hands to flatten them slightly. 

4. Mix the cream with the eggs, the remaining sugar, and the orange rind and pour the mixture over the bread. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

5. Bake the bread pudding in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown and set. Remove and serve warm. 

Now, I was using a much larger casserole dish than what was called for so I ended up using an entire baguette, an extra egg, an extra 1/2 cup of cream, a little more sugar, and a little more wine; I also used less orange rind than was called for (just personal preference). Overall, it turned out very well. Different, non-traditional, unique, and almost tastes a little bit like Fruit Loops (strange I know~!) I served it with the rest of the white wine and it was a great late night dessert. God Bless Japan and all the victims and their families. ~~A~~

Coffee cake, not so good

Have you ever made something, following the recipe perfectly and it didn't turn out well? Part of the ups and downs of becoming a GOOD Cutie in the Kitchen is Trial and Error. Well that is what happened with the Coffee Streusel Cake from the Greatest Ever Baking cookbook. It sounded so delicious, my boyfriend was excited about it, and the pictures of it looked great.... Not to mention, all coffee cakes have always made me drool; from Entenmann's as a child from the grocery store to the Seinfeld episode about Drake's...I love coffee cake! I am a little sad that this recipe turned out so undesirable. Maybe someone else can try it out and see if they liked it.

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter, melted, cooled, plus extra for greasing

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup superfine sugar (I used regular granulated, maybe that's where I went wrong)

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs

2 tbsp instant coffee mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water

1/3 cup chopped almonds

confectioners' sugar for dusting

TOPPING

1/2 cup self rising flour

1/3 cup raw brown sugar

2 tbsp butter, diced

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tbsp water

1. Grease a 9 inch round spring foam cake pan with butter and line w/ parchment paper. Strain the floura nd baking powder into a mixing bowl, then stir in superfine sugar. 

2. Whisk the milk, eggs, melted butter, and coffee mixture together and pour onto the dry ingredients. Add the chopped almonds and mix lightly together. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. 

3. To make the topping, combine the flour and raw brown sugar in a bowl. 

4. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Sprinkle in the allspice and water and bring the mixture into loose crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter. 

5. Bake the cake in a 375 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if the topping starts to brown too quickly. Let the cake cool in the pain, then turn out, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve. 

LOL, Okay so this is the worlds WORST picture of a half cut up cake covered in saran wrap, but I wasn't going to make it look all cute when I didn't like how it tasted!

Okay so first off, I didn't use "superfine sugar", "raw brown sugar" or a round 9" cake pan; this may be why it did not taste so great to me. You would think that using granulated sugar, regular light brown sugar, and a rectangle cake pan wouldn't make that much difference, but I tell you, this has led me to going on a new misson....A mission to find a great coffee cake recipe. I will find one that is great and let you all know where I find it! Until next time....I've got a large coffee cake on my hands to eat! ~~A~~

Late night snack...?

Okay, the truth is, I didn't get around to making dinner until 10:00pm and after all the cooking was completed it wasn't until midnight! So I call this a gourmet late night snack (sure, my Shugy bear was starving, but it all turned out great). (Oh, and in case you're wondering who the heck Shugy bear is, its my boyfriend, and its pronounced like "Sugar" only with an 'y' sound at the end). So here it is: Sweet Mashed Potatoes, Mini Cheese and Onion Tarts, soup (not homemade), and toast!

The Sweet Mashed Potatoes came from my mom's boyfriend's recipe. One night, back in Phoenix, he came over and made the most incredible sweet mashed potatoes I'd ever had. I typically don't like my sweet potatoes loaded with various sugars, marshmellows, etc., I generally just like salt. But these, are a perfect combination of sweet and salty flavors.

Recipe:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter; cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons heavy cream (I used half and half to save a few calories and they still taste great)

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 large or 3 medium-small potatoes (I used 6 very small, skinny ones)

pinch of black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients (except pepper) into a medium to large sized saucepan; cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork, about 35-45 minutes. You may need to increase to medium if they are not breaking down.

2. Off heat, mash sweet potatoes with a potato masher. In my case, I just kept stirring and mashing as it cooked (with a whisk because I don't have an electric mixer) until it was smooth. Stir in pepper; serve immediately. 

In the meantime, while those were cooking, I started on the "Mini Cheese and Onion Tarts", also known as mini quiches! 

Dough: 

3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 1/2 tablespoons butter, diced

2 tablespoons water

Filling:

1 egg, beaten

generous 1/3 cup of light cream (I used half and half)

1/2 cup grated jack or colby cheese (I used half monterey and half colby jack)

3 scallions, finely chopped

salt

cayenne pepper

1. To make the dough, put flour and butter into mixing bowl, add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the water, bring together to form a dough, and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured counter. Stamp out 12 circles from the dough using a 3-inch cookie cuter and use them to line a muffin pan. In my case, I pressed it out because I don't have a rolling pin, and I used a wine glass because I don't have a cookie cutter! Hey, you gotta improvise when you're a beginner! It's okay that they don't cover the whole cup.

3. To make filling, whisk the beaten egg, cream, grated cheese, and scallions together. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. 

4. Scoop just enough filling to fill each tart shell (about an 1/8 cup each) and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is just set. Serve hot, or let cool on wire rack. 

 Yes, it was undoubtedly a random late night snack, but with a bowl of soup it went together just great! I highly recommend both. The potatoes came from Max Bessler who got it from "Cook's Illustrated", and the mini tarts came from my "Greatest Ever Baking" cookbook. ~~A~~

The Sissy came to Visit!

My sister Amanda (whom I refer to as Sissy) came to visit me. She was my first visitor since I moved to Los Angeles! We did many fun things including going to Mad Bull's Tavern, PF Changs and Cafe 50's in Sherman Oaks, Mozza in Hollywood, Jinky's Cafe in Santa Monica, Starbucks and a Country market in Malibu, 2 movies at 2 different Arc Light theaters (The King's Speech and Hall Pass), a brief and chilly visit to the beach, a tour of the National Historic Landmark "The Gamble House" in Pasadena (and a stop at my all time favorite Rubios and the discovery of an AWESOME store called Swain's)!!! I bought a coffee mug for my grandpa and a few books for my darling niece Annabelle. Amanda bought several souvenirs including a decorative (and expensive) vase, a necklace for me, a few books, and some art supplies.

At Mad Bull's

At the Santa Monica pier (very cold!)

 Amanda in front of the Gamble House

We were trying to capture the gorgeous pink flowers behind us that looked like roses (but weren't). They were sooo pretty. (Also at the Gamble House). I was very appreciative and thankful that my Sissy came to visit me and I love her very much. Thanks for the necklace!

~~A~~

Shrimp Stir-Fry

Looking for a fast, healthy and easy dinner? Well this is a favorite of mine. 

...and some plum wine :)

~L~

Weekend Breakfast

Trader Joes Mini Croissants and Chocolate Croissants are tasty and easy. 

They are tiny when you take them out of the package the night before.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place croissants a few inches apart from each other. 

Its crazy to see how much they rise over night! Bake them for about 20 minutes and enjoy:)

~L~

Rigatoni Arrabiata

This arrabiata pasta sauce from Trader Joe's is a little spicy and adds a kick to your pasta marinara. Its a quick dinner to make when returning from a late night of work or class. Changing up the type of pasta you use can spruce up a simple sauce, this time I tried rigatoni. 

Ohh Steven, open your eyes;D

~L~

Sake Bomber Saturday

I thought these pics were funny:P

~L~