Aioli Mayonnaise...

 Being Gluten Free you crave certain things that you used to love and can't have anymore...I think it is closer to mourning food items that are a thing of the past...One of them for me is Chicken and Joes...For years and years my family would meet up at the 2121 Tavern for Chicken and Joes...They are served with coleslaw and cocktail sauce and a creamy joe-joe sauce. My order was always drummettes and skinny joes.  This is my replacement recipe...not exactly the same but delicious...and simple enough to throw together for a gang of people...

Aioli Garlic Mayonnaise

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 clove of garlic crushed and minced

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

squeeze your lemon

blend lemon juice, egg, garlic, mustard until smooth...

while blender is going slowly add the olive oil....SLOWLY....it is finished when it emulsifies and has the consistency of mayonnaise...

this is finished, it would be a great addition to crab cakes...or on fresh cooked vegetables. Like asparagus or green beans...

I used mine to coat my chicken.First dip chicken in flour then the aioli and lastly rolled in bread crumbs. I used gluten free flour and breadcrumbs...but regular would work just as well...There is enough seasoning in the mayonnaise, but if you would like you can season the flour with a little chipotle pepper and salt.... 

and baked for 1 hour at 375 degrees...here is a hint, you want to keep your chicken all bout the same size so it cooks evenly...cut the breast into 2 pieces...so about the same size as the thigh...

While it was cooking I made another version of the Aioli....with this one

I used mayonnaise as a base and added the 1 clove of crushed garlic and shake of tabasco and salt and pepper to taste...the flavor was a perfect sauce to dip the chicken into!

Chicken out of the oven, remember to temp the chicken, making sure it is above 170 near the bone... the aioli mayonnaise gave the chicken a wonderful flavor and it was so very moist! Remember to line the pan with foil...

to go with my Chicken and Joes craving I made plank style roasted potatoes. Just toss with olive oil and salt and pepper...roast them in the same oven as the chicken and approximately the same time...turn them after about 25 minutes...

take out of the oven when tender, they were delicious dipped in the Aioli mayonnaise!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Venezuelan Arepas

I do love summer and all of its generous bounty.  Can you tell I just came in from the garden... nothing better than sun ripened tomatoes.  I could go on and on.  However, I want to share a most wonderful recipe.  This wonderful bread is so delightfully tasty and easy to make.   See many pictures and the recipe below.

I have rounded up our usual cast of characters....
The ingredients and measures follow:
2 cups corn flour  (Masa Harina)
1 Cup Queso Fresco crumbled.
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 Table spoons melted butter
2 1/2 cups water.
   Cooking oil for the pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. 

Mix the melted butter and water together.

Add to the flour mixture.  Add the Queso Fresco and stir well.

Knead the dough, (hands on here)  for about 8 minutes until the dough holds together nicely. If the dough is too wet add a little more flour (corn) or if two dry a little (very) water.  You will be able to tell by the feel.  You divide the dough into 16 even balls and then get ready to fry.

You will want to pat the dough into rounds about 1/3 inch thick and 4-6 inches in diameter.  Put a Tablespoon of oil in a fry pan (cast iron is the best). Warm over medium heat.  Fry the arepas until they are golden brown.  About 4 minutes on each side.  Place on a baking sheet and keep on going.  It will probably take two sheets for all 16. 

Into the oven for 30 minutes at 350degrees.  They will puff up just a little bit.
They can be split and used for wonderul little sandwiches.  Or warm them and put cheese in the middle.  Or just eat them warm from the oven.

We had international dinner.  Vegetables from the garden with a teriyaki glaze.
Asia covered.

Arepas from Venezuela.

And wonderful Bison from America.  Yum!!

I'll tell you my Cast iron cookware gets a workout.

It was healthy and delicious.  As you can see below.

Yes I am a member of the clean plate club.  Please take the time to make these delicious Arepas and become an International diner too.

Triple Berry Pie in a jar....

In the Northwest the wild blackberry's are coming on, their sweet smell fills the air on hot summer days. If you don't mind a few thorn scratches, you can pick your fill! When I was a youngster we used to fill buckets of them. Or should I say we used to try to fill buckets. We ate more than we picked. We would find huckleberries, salmon berries and black caps. I love the smell in the woods of pine needles and blackberries combined...

this is the patch behind my property, every year I cut them back away from the fence, letting a few branches hang over for easy picking.

            they are so sweet and good!!!  So fun to go out and pick a few for your morning cereal.

I bought my berries at Sterino Farm Store. It is just down the hill from my house and most of everything they sell either is grown by them or another farmer in the Puyallup Valley.

They sell these neat little combo packs of berries. Cool huh? I am going to make pie in a jar. I have seen this on the internet many times. I think Pioneer woman did it the first time I saw it. I love the idea...

I made your standard pie filling. I used a cup each of all three berries and added a half a cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon...

stir it up ...

Distribute evenly  in four jars...I used pint jars, half pints would be plenty big for this though...These were very generous servings.

For the topping I made a standard crumble...1/2 cup of softened butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar. 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of rolled oats and another sprinkle of cinnamon...

Change to a bigger bowl, I do that a lot don't I? Mix with your pastry bender or a fork until crumbly..

Generously place on top of the berries...You will not want to go too high with the mix..leave room for the berries to bubble without going over the edge of the jar...

Place in a 375 degree oven and cook for 35 minutes....

Finished!! Heavenly smells! This same procedure would be great for apple or peaches too...or pear raspberry....Hmmmm I love pear raspberry...

and if you leave room at the top band of the jar, there is plenty of room for a huge scoop of ice cream!

You also can put the lids on the jars and they are ready to pack for your picnic!!!

Cheers to Happy!!! 

Thai Glass Noodle Salad or Yum Woon Sen...

Summer has only one month left. If you are like me it has gone by much too swiftly, I wish I could stop time and just get a chance to catch up. The Northwest has had wonderful weather, sunny days and cool evenings. It has been wonderful to be outside all day and into the evening..

It is perfect for Thailand's Yum Woon Sen or Glass Noodle Salad...It is flavorful, and versatile. You can literally make it just how you and your family like it. Traditionally it is made with shrimp and fresh ground pork, and fresh vegetables...it always has cilantro and basil...you can make it with any shellfish, I think it would be very decadent to make it with lobster. Fresh cucumber would be a great addition, it can be served warm or cold...On the streets of Thailand it never has tomatoes, this is the Americanized version..I think the color is great.

Yum Woon Sen

Sauce:
juice of one lime
3 large cloves of garlic
5 teaspoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce (can use gluten free)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 quarter sized pieces of fresh peeled ginger
hand full of chopped cilantro
1-3 small Thai red chili's...1 for mild-2 for medium-3 for hot heat
1/4 cup of agave (optional) gives it a little sweetness, can add brown sugar or honey

Salad
3 cups cooked bean thread noodles
1 pound of 31-40 shrimp cooked
1 cup of green beans
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of shredded white radish
1/2 cup of green onions chopped
1/2 cup of cilantro chopped
1/2 cup of basil chopped
1 cup of pea pods
1 cup of large chunks fresh tomato
1/2 cup of chopped peanuts or cashews
sprinkle of fried garlic (optional)
1 head of butter lettuce

Place all sauce ingredients in blender and blend until smooth...taste and adjust, if you need to

...should be very flavorful. Set aside

then boil your noodles, a little goes a long way. The noodles are bean thread noodles. You can soak them in hot water or boil gently until soft...

Now prep your vegetables for the salad...I used fresh from the garden, scallions, cilantro, basil, beans, peapods, carrots, white radish, and chopped tomatoes....the jar in the front is fried garlic....they sell it in the Asian store, much like canned fried onions that you use on top of the green bean casserole at Thanksgiving, but garlic...very handy to have around...

drain your cooked noodles and rinse with cold water....

Place in too small of bowl and then switch to a much bigger bowl....you will need room for all the vegetables and sauce....

mix all of the sauce, vegetables, and shrimp together,,,place in the fridge for at least an hour...the flavors will meld and absorb into the noodles...

put butter lettuce or shredded cabbage or chopped romaine on a platter,,,

 

and pile all you salad on top, sprinkle the chopped garlic and chopped peanuts on top...

and serve, makes a wonderful main course for hot summer days!!!

Enjoy!

Cheers to Happy  !!