Piazza Sorrento

I finally got to try the Eggplant Involtini at Piazza Sorrento.  I have been wanting to try this for so long, but it's only offered at dinner and we rarely are there for that.  It was delicious.   I can't wait to go back and try it again.  Piazza Sorrento really does go above and beyond to offer a slew of gluten free foods, and prepare them with care and make sure every plate that is gluten free is marked as such.  I just love this place!

It's been a little while

I haven't blogged in a while, but I have good reason.

Where to begin?

So let's go back 15 years, to 1998, May 30th to be exact.   My father had a bad fall at work due to a hose being left out on the floor.  He hasn't worked since.   He had to go through three spinal cord surgeries and therapies and has been walker bound ever since.  Good days he can use a cane.  Then two years ago he had a stroke.   That set him back a bit and he suffered some minor vision loss from that, but now can't drive due to it.  Then there was May 30th of this year, 15 years to the day of the fall that changed his life forever.  He ended up in the ER with what is now being called a "small stroke" or an Intraventricual Hemorrhage.  Go ahead, Google it.  It's found almost exclusively in children, and when it is in adults the prognosis is not good. 

Dad, just like with the first stroke, got lucky.  He is weak, his memory is messed up, but he is alive, he is coherent and making fantastic progress.   A week at the hospital in the neurology critical care unit, and then two weeks in the inpatient rehab center and staring outpatient therapies today, Dad has had quite the journey. It constantly seems like the guy can't catch a break, but everything that has happened to him could have been worse, and that is what we have to remember.   Sure it sucks that this has severely altered his life, and that my mother just didn’t' feel comfortable leaving him home alone after the first stroke and retire a little earlier than she had planned on, but all in all, everyone is alive and functional, even if limited.  And I have never seen better representation of true love, or the till death do us part wedding vows than when my parents are together.  They truly are there for one another, and it brings tears to my eyes in times like these.   Precious moments of a life shared together.   Just beautiful.

So yeah, even in all this was a planned vacation to the beach with Ken's family, which we went on.  I will cover all my food related stuff soon.  I just need to catch up on everything.   It's been a while….

Giotti's and Zinco

I finally tried Giotti's in Harrisburg.  I got my standard, pizza.  It was OK.  I am not rushing back for it but the pasta dishes looked amazing so I believe I will be going back to give those a try.  

I also have been testing out some coconut waters and this chocolate one from Zinco is like

yohoo!  I liked it, willget  again :-)0

Official BBQ

Ken and I have been craving some BBQ and he found this place not to far from us called Official BBQ and Burgers .  I contacted them and got a very nice reply back.  I am very excited to try their food! 

Thank you for contacting us, we have a wide range of gluten free items on our menu.  I have attached a copy of our allergen informational menu for you.  We recently started carrying Heisler's Ice Cream as well, and all the flavors (except cookie dough) are gluten free.  

Also, we were recently listed onfindmeglutenfree.com, if you aren't familiar with this website, it may be a really great tool for you! 

Hope to see you soon!

http://www.officialbbq.net/

Cauliflower Bread Sticks

I have to admit, I have been waiting for months to try this and finally made the time to do it.   It was really yummy.  I think next time I would add some garlic, as it makes everything better :-)  I really was pleasantly surprised by the chewy texture.  It is close to a bread chewiness which I have sorely missed.   I shared these with a few people and everyone seemed to like them.

Cheesy Cauliflower “Bread” Sticks

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups cauliflower "rice" (see below)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided (I used the Kraft 6 cheese Italian blend, it was great)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• Marinara sauce for dipping

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by turning 1 head of cauliflower into "rice." To do this, wash and clean the cauliflower and cut it into chunks (remove the core- is that what you call it?). There are several ways to "rice" cauliflower. You can use a food processor and pulse it until it's a "rice" consistency, or you can use a box grater. Alternatively, you could use a knife to finally chop the cauliflower until it looks like rice. An average head of cauliflower should yield about 4 cups of cauliflower "rice."
2. Microwave the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl for 8 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Use a fine mesh strainer to drain the cauliflower. Place the cauliflower "rice" in a clean dish towel and squeeze as hard as you can to remove any excess water. It may look like all the water is removed, but definitely don't skip this step as there is hidden excess water.
5. Once the cauliflower rice is drained really well, dump it into a large bowl. To the cauliflower rice, add 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 egg slightly beaten, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
6. Stir the mixture well.
7. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Spoon the cauliflower mixture onto the pan and use your hands to form it into a 8 1/2 x 11 inch rectangle (eyeball it- think piece of paper size)
8. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or even longer until the crust is golden brown and firm.
9. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Then top the crust with remaining 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning.
10. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
11. Cut into "breadsticks" and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Chicken Parm "Meatballs"

I found this on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it.  These were yummy!  Now, I had some left over breading in the freezer from the Mother's Day meal, as I honestly double to triple any breading recipe as I like it coated!   And I used that left over instead of what is listed below, but it's not that completely different.  It worked really well.

Chicken Parmesan "meatballs"

Ingredients

·1 cup Ian's Gluten Free panko

·1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or more)

·1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

·1  egg

·1 pound ground chicken breast (or dark meat)

·1/2 cup diced white onion  (I used dried onion flakes)

·2 cloves garlic, minced

·1 tablespoon dried oregano

·6 fresh basil leaves, torn (my grocery store was out, I used dried)

·1 pinch salt and pepper

·16 small mozzarella cubes, cut from a block

·2 cups  marinara sauce of your choice

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 F.

2.    In a small ziploc bak, combine the panko, half of the Parmesan cheese, and the olive oil.  Set aside.

3.    In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then add the chicken, onion, garlic, oregano, the remaining Parmesan, basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.

4.    Lightly coat a  muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each well. Nestle a cube of mozzarella in the center of the mixture. Pat the chicken over the cheese to completely cover it.

5.    Sprinkle the panko/Parmesan mixture on top of each chicken mound, lightly pressing it into the meat.

6.    Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the panko is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. If needed, you may broil the panko to further brown it.

7.    Let rest 5 minutes. Then using a knife, lightly loosen each cupcake from the muffin tin.

8.    In the meantime, warm the marinara sauce in a small saucepan.

9.    Serve meatballs with warmed marinara

Walnut and Rosemary Oven Fried Chicken

I am way behind here, so lets start off with Mother's day I made mom this crusted chicken recipe I had from Cooking Light a few years ago that she liked.  I adapted it to be Gluten Free naturally.  

Walnut and Rosemary Oven Fried Chicken

Ingredients

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk  (I tend to use a smidgen more just to thin it out a bit)

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 (6-ounce) chicken cutlets (I have used regular chicken breast and pounded them to within about a quarter inch of their life.....)
• 1/3 cup Ian's Gluten Free panko  (even though you spice it up, I use a mixture of the regular and Italian)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (If you know me, you know I just throw a bunch of cheese in there)
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper $
• Cooking spray
• Rosemary leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. 2. Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat.
3. 3. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Combine panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture; discard buttermilk mixture. Dredge chicken in panko mixture.
4. 4. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until chicken is done. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired.