Asparagus with Maple Tahini Dressing

Vegan maple-tahini dressing adorns the Queen of Spring: Asparagus.

Spring here in BoHo infused West Hollywood means trading in your Uggs for flip-flops. And hurtling downhill on your skateboard past midnight, apparently. For four nights in a row now I've been startled awake by the rolling wheels of wild ones zooming past our bedroom window in the wee small hours of the morning. I suspect they are taggers, or teenage paparazzi on the hunt for misbehaving Melrose prey (there have been more helicopters lately). Sleep has been edgy and restless. The season of change is afoot. Or rather on a roll.

Which in an odd and sleep-deprived way, brings me to asparagus.

It's a welcome signal of warmer days (and nights!) when those bundles of slender green stalks are back, standing tall in elegant rows at the local market. Erect, perky little beauties.

My deep and abiding craving for asparagus is surprising for someone who never tendered a single bite of fresh asparagus until my third decade here on planet Earth. Yes, you read that right. Three decades. I admit it.

I was anti-asparagus.

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Sweet Rolls with Strawberries {Totally Tasty Tuesdays}

I like turning things that are meant for one thing into another. Like pie crust into the home of these meat pies, or bread sticks into these sweet rolls. It's fun and a little rebellious.

• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 5 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 tube (11 ounces) refrigerated breadsticks
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup 
• 
  
• In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and 2 teaspoons sugar; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, unroll breadstick dough (do not separate). Seal perforations; brush dough with butter. Combine brown sugar and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough.

Reroll, starting with a short end. Cut along seam lines.

Place rolls cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with syrup. Serve with reserved strawberry mixture. Makes 6 rolls.

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Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Fresh baked gluten-free dinner rolls- warm and tender.

We've been slurping lots of soup this Spring while the temperatures hover well below my chilly bones preference of 72 degrees. I hate to complain about 52 degrees, but, honestly. I'm shivering like a kitten in a Steve Martin movie. This is L.A. not New Hampshire. Where is my sunshine and technicolor blue sky?

Hiding its good humor behind wrinkled duvets of fuzzy gray clouds, that's where.

So we make gluten-free soup.

But the soup needs a companion. Our potage is lonely. And so I play matchmaker. I've been inviting gluten-free roll recipes to come and play. I've been flirting with their quirks and grainy idiosyncrasies, trying to be a good host. Coaxing their prickly little batters into behaving. As in, taste GOOD. And I've had some almost there success. But nothing to brag about. Nothing blog worthy.

Until today. These rolls are a balance of whole grain flavor and softness. Just crusty enough. These were tender and lovely warm from the oven. Not gummy. Not heavy. Not too grainy.

Just right.


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Grandpa Gallegos' Chile

My grandpa made the best chile. It's not chili. It's chile. Because it's Mexican food, not American. Traditionally, Chile doesn't have beans in it, just meat. But anyone in any culture tends to add lib when it comes to cooking and does what they want. We make tortillas and ham hocks and beans and eat them with this Chile. It can be frozen and that's what I love about this. A funny thing about my grandpa-he said that he'd live to 90 because that's a good age. He passed away just a few days after his 90th birthday. I always think of him when I make and eat his chile. I hope you enjoy it.

Printable Version

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef

2 Tbsp. flour

2 tsp. minced garlic

garlic salt

Anaheim Chiles, roasted and chopped* (you can also use canned green Chiles, but the real stuff tastes so much better!)

1/4 c. water

2 cans stewed tomatoes

Directions

• Cook the beef until almost done. 
• Add flour, garlic, garlic salt, and chiles; stir. 
• Add tomatoes and water; heat through.
• Serve with homemade tortillas and ham hocks and beans*.

To roast Chiles:

Place them on a grill or the rack in your oven. Roast until the skins turn black. Immediately place into a large Zip-Loc bag and let steam. After it cools (wear plastic gloves), peel the skin off and remove seeds. You can then freeze them or use them in a recipe. I love putting them on a tortilla, sprinkle a little garlic salt on them and fold them up and eat them. 

Ham Hocks and Beans:

Soak 1 lb pinto beans according to package. I do the quick soak method. Rinse and drain them and place in a slow cooker or Pressure cooker. Add a ham hock or two and enough water to cover the beans. Do not salt beans until they are done or it will toughen the skins. Cook on high in the slow cooker 6-8 hours or according to pressure cooker directions. Serve with tortillas and this Chile.

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Christopher Walken Shares Gluten-Free Tips

Christopher Walken's doppleganger stopped by Gluten-Free Goddess to share a few off-the-cuff tips on cooking gluten-free. In this impromptu video, Christopher reveals his passion for butter flavor, his preference for cooking grits, and his befuddlement with tapioca.

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Mint Chocolate Cupcakes {Totally Tasty Tuesdays}

I am in love with cupcakes lately. I love everything about them. They are tasty, versatile, and just so darn cute. I came across this recipe from My Baking Addition. I had to make them and share them with you. I love mint chocolate food. Thin Mints from those darn Girl Scouts, the new minty 3 Musketeers bar, and this cupcake. Don't make these if you do not want to develop an addiction.

Cupcakes

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1 cup Andes mint chips plus more for garnish

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes.Using a large scoop (about 3 tablespoons), divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Sprinkle Andes Mints onto the surface of each cupcake. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

 Frosting

  1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 pound powdered sugar

pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

 In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Turn your mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended. Add salt, extracts, and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and blend on low speed until moistened. Beat in melted chocolate until combined and no white streaks remain. Add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and top with  Andes mint chips.

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Peanut Butter Banana Cake

My gluten-free peanut butter banana cake was inspired by a sandwich.

It has been an awful week. Our hearts ache for the profound and inconceivable loss suffered by Japan. To conjure sweet nothings about cake or cookies, or celebrating the first day of spring rings a tinny, grating note. So I am excavating a recipe from the archives instead, sharing it now for those of you new to the blog, or those of you who may have missed it the first time around. It's a simple, sugar-free recipe based upon a childhood favorite- the peanut butter and banana sandwich.

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Bow-Ties with Ham

Who doesn't love pasta? This is a tasty way to eat it with ham and asparagus. I will try it with broccoli instead next time, just for a change. It is pretty good and if you can't find Harvati cheese, you can use mozzarella cheese instead. This comes together so fast and is great for a quick dinner.

 3 c. uncooked bow-tie pasta (farfalle)

1 (16 oz.) jar Alfredo pasta sauce

10 medium asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil and herbs, drained & chopped

1 c. diced cooked ham

1 c. shredded Harvati cheese (or mozzarella)

Cook and drain pasta. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the Alfredo sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot. Gently stir in cooked pasta, asparagus, tomatoes, & ham. Stir in 1/2 c. of the cheese. Pour into a 2 qt. casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese.

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Karina's Wildly Rich Chocolate Truffle Cake

Truffle Cake is a flourless chocolate cake worthy of Spring.

The intricate lace of bare oak branches reaching to the piece of schoolyard sky framed by my kitchen window is softening, filling in with bursts of tender green leaves so young and sweet you miss them at first glance. Spring has arrived. The oaks say so.

To celebrate the season of reawakening, I say we bake a cake.

Yes, another cake. I know, I know. I baked a luxurious Coconut Layer Cake for you just last week. But. It was a cake with flour (albeit gluten-free flours). And what do I feel like baking this week? A flourless cake. A cake so rich it tastes like a truffle. Not the infamous pig snuffled treasure. No, Darling. The chocolate truffle. That heavenly impostor, hiding in the guise of that woodsy French piggery fungi. Spoonfuls of deep, dark ganache rolled in cocoa powder (to look like dirt, of course).

And I didn't want just a chocolate cake topped with ganache, either. I wanted to bake the ganache itself. I wanted the cake to taste like a sweet and satiny truffle- I wanted the cake to live up to its name. Truffle Cake inspires expectations. So I fiddled around with my Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe and rustled up a divine and creamy chocolate cake so special you'll want to share it with company. It's simply too good to keep to yourself. Try it. It's shockingly easy to make. Just give yourself time to make it ahead. It is at its best chilled overnight.

Silky satin chocolate cake with a dusting of dirt- I mean- organic cacao powder with a secret ingredient. Raw maca powder.

Throw in a little superfood magic. Why not?


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Raisin Filled Cookies {Totally Tasty Tuesdays}

These cookies are from my childhood. I loved them then, and I still do. Before I made these, I hadn't had them since I was little. Then I thought of them and called my mom for the recipe. One bite and it was like it hadn't been so long since I enjoyed them. They just make my mouth so happy.

Printable Version

Cookies:

2 c. sugar

1 c. shortening

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 c. buttermilk

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

5 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream together the shortening, eggs, and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients except the buttermilk. Mix together. Add buttermilk. Mix again. Roll out with a rolling pin 1/8" thick and cut into round shapes with cookie cutters. You will need two circles for each cookie.

Filling:

2 c. raisins

2 Tbsp. orange juice

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. flour

1 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 c. boiling water

Stir all together and then add the boiling water. Put into a blender and process till smooth.

Fill one cookie with 2 tsp. filling and top with another cookie. Pinch edges closed with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

 

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Vintage Bakeshop Winner...

Using Random.org, the winner is #11 Julie! Congrats, Julie! I'll get your info sent to Vintage Bakeshop for your $40 gift certificate. Thanks for entering!

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Olive Oil & Garlic Pasta

I found this simple recipe on DinnerTool.com.It is a great site that is made up of recipes from all kinds of sources. If you scroll to the very bottom of the page, you'll see "Contact Us, Help/FAQ, Friends". Click on the "Friends" link and you'll get a long list of people who have recipes on DinnerTool. If you look hard enough, you may see Mandy's Recipe Box listed. Neat-o. You can do a week's worth of meals by looking up ingredients and doing a search, or you can click one little button and it'll create a menu for you. I like it. This pasta dish is complete simplicity. I like it as a light meal or a side dish. For the husbands or meat-needers, you could add some chicken. I added Parmesan cheese to this, otherwise I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste

1 lb. linguine, spaghetti, or other long, thin pasta

parsley

shredded Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In a small skillet or saucepan over medium‐low heat, combine the garlic, oil, and salt. Allow the garlic to simmer, shaking the pan occasionally, until it turns golden; do not allow it to become dark brown or it will be bitter rather than sweet.

Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until it is tender but firm. When it is done, drain it, reserving a bit of the cooking water. Reheat the garlic and oil mixture briefly if necessary. Dress the pasta with the sauce, adding a little more oil or some of the cooking water if it seems dry. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

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Raspberry Bars {Totally Tasty Tuesdays}

This is a great treat. It's crunchy on the bottom, chewy in the middle, and soft on top. It's a party in your mouth! It makes an 8x8 square pan, but you could double it to make a 9x13 size. I shared some with my friend and I told her she's gonna want to hide these so she could have them all to herself. I bet she did. It has just the right amount of chocolate chips to fill that chocolate need we all have.

Crust:

1 1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter or margarine

Topping:

2/3 c. flour

1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

6 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened

1/2 c. raspberry jam (or another kind you like)

2 c. milk chocolate chips ( I didn't use that much. I just sprinkled some over top.)

For Crust:

Combine flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom of a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes until set but not brown.

For Topping:

Combine flour, pecans, and brown sugar in same bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Spread jam over hot crust. Sprinkle with topping crumbs and chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

  Printable Version
I shared this on:
Made it on Monday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Tuesday Talent Show, Crazy Sweet Tuesday

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