Good evening, and Happy Tuesday, Dear Readers!

First, an update–today my replacement blender part came in, the cutter bit that needed replacing. Aunt Kathy reminded me that there were likely broken blender particles in my fresh pesto, so I tossed it on her advice. Yes, it broke my heart to do so, but it’s infinitely cheaper than an emergency room visit. Now that my blender is whole again, I’ll buy some basil and parsley and make more for the freezer. Yes, it’s cheating, but the parsley is growing back and eventually, the basil will too, so I’ll make it with patio garden stuff again soon.

How hot is it in Houston? I didn’t touch hot coffee today. I drank ice water all day in the office. I could do it tomorrow, too. Ugh. Welcome to summer. We’re paying for the recurrent winter we enjoyed this year. VERY glad for lettuce packed in a jar.

It’s been a busy week, with some big news for foodies–it looks like the gluten-free need is really getting the attention of the food industry. So many times I’ve gone into Starbucks asking for something gluten free–now Dunkin’ Donuts is now paying attention and beating them to the punch.

WOO HOO!! Take that, yuppie hangouts! (I do like Starbucks. Just not as much as Dunkin’ Donuts right now.)

Yes, you will soon be able to get GLUTEN FREE DONUTS and other healthier options at Dunkin Donuts. Now if they would put a Dunkin’ Donuts in my neighborhood, I could give you a critique.

One word of warning: you still need to read labels before you start diving into a GF donut, cookie or other wheat-free treat. I’ve had a few very delicious gluten-free things that the first ingredient on the list is. . .sugar. If you’re diabetic, or watching your weight, beware–you may be eating sugar blobs.

Speaking of sugar blobs. . .Twinkies return July 15th. Yes, fellow foodies, we can once again enjoy classic American sugar blobs and empty calories. You bet I’m having one! ONE. Or, one packet. But as I mentioned recently, you can find reasonable facsimiles now.

Now onto my week.

I keep telling y’all about that new cupcake place in the downtown Houston tunnel, New Addictions, and yes, there are always a couple of customers there when I pass during my lunchtime walk. Saw the owner, Justin, talking to several customers just this afternoon on my third lap. On each lap, I see at least two or three customers each time and they aren’t the same folks.

And now, I can personally attest to their awesome cupcakes.

It wasn’t my fault. Honest.

We had yet another birthday in the office last week, and this time, cupcakes were ordered from New Addictions. One dozen, three of each flavor: chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate peanut butter, red velvet and carrot cake. Each was loaded up with icing and politely I tried, I really tried, to leave it alone. I even scarfed down some raw almonds first so I wouldn’t have room for a cupcake.

Resistance is futile. Even for the stalwart.

I didn’t actually *eat* one cupcake. I split one with another office mate to taste test it. Chocolate peanut butter, of course. And then a quarter of a beautiful red velvet one the next day.

No, it wasn’t gluten free. They’re not yet set up for that, so I’ll keep looking for gluten free. Or make them myself. And spend a lot more time a) walking b) running c) doing Pilates and/or yoga until I injure myself and d) pretending to ski on my beloved Nordic Track. I used it last week after that first taste test for half an hour then did some sit-ups and stuff for another 20 minutes.

So what was it like? Soft, pillowy cake and sweet buttercream icing. Yes, as heavenly as the minister wants them to be. No, seriously—Justin really is a minister, and the cupcake is heavenly. Even the boss lady had half a cupcake—she had a rough day. I say she deserved a cupcake, too.

There was one left, a beautiful red velvet cupcake. I took it home for my elderly neighbor who doesn’t get out as much as she used to. Now, remember that I work in downtown Houston, take the bus every day, and it’s summer. So I took that plastic crate that they came in, loaded it into a plastic grocery bag, holding the one remaining cupcake, sat next to the window on the bus so I could get the cool air blowing into the bag to keep the frosting from melting, ran to my vehicle, cranked up the AC, and got it home with the icing intact.

Once home, I removed it carefully, put it on a plate and in the fridge where I nicked the icing on the ceiling of the fridge. Almost. . . .

The Red Velvet Cupcake from New Addictions

That’s a big cupcake!

Still, it’s pretty nice looking. Having taste tested part of another split red velvet cupcake (about a third, I think), I can attest to its deliciousness and texture, too. I had to go run an errand for a friend, and brought the cupcake to my neighbor after I got home. The icing was definitely cold from the fridge.

Better luck this week sticking to the GF thing. I do GF voluntarily, but there are people who get very sick from wheat and gluten. I think of my GF as helping out by investigating these things for them. I like the way I think. Even if nobody else does. <wink>

Speaking of heavenly sweets. . .I baked up Nigella’s Chocolate Olive Oil Cake from her new book Nigellissima the other night. Not difficult at all, and with almond flour, pantry staples and 3 eggs, it’s an easy gluten free. No kidding. You can also use regular flour if you’re not of a mind to mess with almond flour. I’m not trying that, ‘cause I like to have my cake and eat it, too. I also used SomerSweet instead of superfine sugar.

You do have to plan ahead, because this cake takes 40 to 45 minutes to bake, and some time to cool off. Is it worth it? Absolutely! It looks exactly like it does in the book, so if yours looks funny. . .well, make sure you follow the directions, and let it cool, of course.

Oh, and read the recipe all the way through BEFORE you start cooking or baking anything. This recipe is really simple, but not so simple that you can skip steps—so do it to spec at least once so you know how it’s supposed to come out. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve either not done that or read it halfway and then was surprised by something. Or decided to substitute something and was quite disappointed.

Now another recipe in Nigellissima I decided to make calls for something I’ve never heard of: red vermouth. Nigella discusses it in the introduction, and several recipes utilize it. I know a bit here and there about alcohol and spirits, but I’m certainly no expert. I know what Calvados is (in fact, I saw it the other
night), the difference between champagne and Proseco, and that you can’t really taste vodka in something, like fruit juice and sugar. So I called my local Spec’s and asked about it. Sure, they had it—it’s a sweet liquor. I got a bottle on the way home from work on Friday night (it’s not far from the bus line) and boy is it good! I tasted a whopping half-teaspoon, in my kitchen, when I got home. Oh, I could go for more, and maybe one day I will, but it’s intended for the pot. (Wonder if I could bake with it.) 

I’m not encouraging you to drink if you don’t want to or should not. But if you do. . .red vermouth is delish. Anyway. . .

I made the dish that I bought it for on Sunday during my weekly cooking spree, and it sure is good. On page 76 is Sausages with Beans & Roasted Red Peppers. Doesn’t take long to cook, and if you keep butter beans or cannellini beans in your pantry, some canned tomatoes and roasted red bell peppers, and some fresh Italian sausages. Oh, and that wonderful red vermouth.

Oh, yeah. . . .

Remember that the quarter-cup of alcohol cooks out–it’s not boozy, and the flavor left behind is wonderful with the tomatoes and roasted red bell peppers. Great weeknight meal, although I’d leave it for winter with the heat we’re having here in Houston.

It’s getting late, ladies and gentlemen. I’m going to bed. I will report on some more foodie adventures soon, soon as I get a good night’s sleep, and find my way around to some.

Enjoy!

Good evening, Dear Readers:

I’ve got to make this post fast, because I’m fading off. I hope I don’t have any typos. This 2 hour a day commute is wearing me out. Still, I get to go downtown every day.

I worked my paws off getting my week ready this weekend including a little sewing on a suit that is STILL not done, tidied up (including containerizing a lot of thread and things) and ironing on Sunday afternoon. I’m ready.

Longtime readers of this blog may remember an earlier post I wrote about Cupcakes and Capitalism. An update to that story is that I found a perfect example. Remember the new shops in the tunnel I was telling you about? I was lucky enough to have a conversation last week with the other owner (Justin Frazier) of New Addiction Cupcakes in the Tunnel, and he had some interesting things to say. First, he’s a minister–and the shop name means he wants people to leave their addictions behind and become “addicted” to the Word.  I asked, “you don’t mind that I’m a Buddhist, do you?” Nope. Didn’t bother him at all.

His original shop is on the east side of Houston, and while they produce a quality product, he’s in an area of town that doesn’t have a customer base that feels justified in paying $3.50 for a cupcake when they can get them 4 for $3 at Kroger or something. The idea of artisan-made, top quality doesn’t resonate there, and that area of town doesn’t see the difference.

If you’ve ever had a specialty shop cupcake, you KNOW the difference.

One of Justin’s friends suggested he find a storefront in the tunnel, and they opened a couple of weeks ago to raving reviews. Justin said that Nicole and Ivy are his “A” Team, and they really are nice to everyone. New Addictions always seems to have  customers–I’m glad. The Fraziers are also a very small operation, so doing gluten-free is a bit off for now. Understandable, and I wish them all the success they deserve. (First customer review here.)

Now onto me.

This weekend I whipped up a) roast turkey thighs, b) roast pork loin c) cinnamon-hazelnut ice cream, and d) another Heat Cage Kitchen breakfast quiche, or frittata, or mess–whatever you call it. I have food for the week.

When I got to the breakfast thingy, I got this little surprise when I started cracking eggs:

Yes, that’s three little yolks in the space of one. Probably a good thing I bought that egg. Had it been allowed to gestate, it might have gotten a bit crowded in there. But hey, it’s chicks–they probably don’t mind.

I also put up another week’s worth of lettuce. No kidding, the lettuce lasts a week. Just don’t let it get too cold to where it freezes up, or you’ll defeat the purpose of the jar. It gets mushy when it thaws. I love my salad, y’all.

Here’s a totally unnecessary shot of the ice cream in the maker:

It’s a simple recipe with some of that Torani hazelnut flavoring thrown in. Creamy, rich, and no sugar since it’s once again sweetened with Somersweet. (I need to get more.) However, since I use my small fridge-top freezer as a second pantry, the freeze-before-you-use insert is an issue. And since my neighbor was out of town for 4 days, and she only stores a few frozen dinners in hers. . .and I have a key. . .I had her freezer at my disposal for freezing the ice cream thingy! (Yes, she knows. No, she didn’t mind.)

And now for something completely different.

I am happy to announce that I am having. . .a tomato. No kidding, one of the three tomatoes that came on the plant is turning red, ever so slowly:

Just noticed it yesterday. Also, the pepper plants are doing well:

Isn’t that cute?

Since the basil was doing well, I harvested it and some flat-leaf parsley to make pesto:

I wanted to cut them down so they would grow back again, so I can have lots of fresh herbs:

However, I didn’t think I had enough basil, so I supplemented:

And you know what? Half the leaves were black. I was not happy. But I picked off as much green as I could. I did have enough basil for a batch, and into the freezer it went.

Ta da! Freshly made PESTO!!

Let’s see if I can get another batch, or even two, out of the Heat Cage Kitchen garden so I can have it all winter. ‘Cause there’s no way I wanna buy it, that’s for sure.

True story–two years ago, I got caught short for a birthday at work and made a batch of pesto as a birthday present. Gave the recipient a recipe for Pea Pesto Soup with one other thingy, and she was quite happy with it. Dunno if she ever had it again. This is a now-75 yo little Baptist lady who is just a sweetie and is sharp as a tack. She’s got nearly everything, so I figured a little something different was in order. Hey–it worked! I’d do it again, too.

I love pesto, can you tell? I only discovered it about 10 years ago.

I am seriously fading, but wanted to let you know I’m still at it, and still looking for more foodie adventures. But I gotta sleep.

Happy Dining!

Hello, Readers:

Well, I’ve got a couple of things to tell you about, so let’s get started.

First off, reading the Houston Chronicle online this morning, I discovered that the empty space in the Houston Downtown Tunnel I’ve been walking past for the last month on my lunch hour is the spot of a newly-opened cupcake spot called New Addiction.  I knew they were doing something back there, but I didn’t know what. Well, today I went back there for a minute and talked to a couple of nice ladies who I will attempt to interview this week, just for you, and some pictures, too. I did ask about gluten-free; they are working on the recipe and should have it in about four weeks.

DARNIT!!

The article also discusses another cupcake shop that does have gluten-free already available, so I may check them out tomorrow.

So later, I’m ridin’ on the Metro into downtown (anyone remember that song?), reading my Wall Street Journal, and what do I see but an article about Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman! No kidding, the fifth season of her cooking show starts Saturday on The Food Network.

I’ve written about Ree before, and met her at a book signing back in November when she came to nearby Pearland to sign her new book Charlie and the Christmas Kitty.  I got to read the book while in line (it’s a kid’s book and not very long) and since I had the time, told her what I really thought of her TV show–it’s like a visit to the country every weekend, and hanging out with your country cousins for a while.

I also told her that a few months before, I made her Orange Marmalade Muffins for a Buddhist activity. We had some new members attend our little meeting, and they were very surprised to learn that I baked them from scratch THAT MORNING. Well, DUH–but they didn’t know me, so they didn’t assume anything. Then when we were leaving, everyone scooped them up! I was glad, of course, because I didn’t want to take them home. They were that good that I would have eaten them all myself. Really, they were scooping up these little morsels and couldn’t get enough. They’re not an everyday item, and as Ree told me, “one will give you a sugar rush.” (I think it’s in her first book.)

Yes, I know, it’s a 22-minute cooking show, but it’s really much more than that. You learn what it’s like to live in another part of the US that most of us will likely never see or experience, and see real cattle ranchers in action–not a Hollywood rendition, the real thing. Remember that Ree is also a college graduate of USC, and lived in California for many years–that’s why she’ll occasionally wish for a Starbucks in the middle of one of her pastures. (I’m sure when she makes it to Tulsa, Starbucks is first.) She’s a redhead with a sense of humor much like mine, and took a turn that completely changed her life’s direction.

Irony alert: Ree was a vegetarian for many years, and Ladd reintroduced her to the pleasures of the flesh. Oh, that’s a story in her bio that’s hilarious.

I met Marlboro Man, too, separately in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport last year in late April when I was leaving Phoenix and he and the boys were arriving. They got off the plane I was getting onto, I think. He really is that handsome, very nice when I ran up to him, suitcase in tow, and the boys are absolutely adorable. It’s great that he has a sense of humor and enjoys doing the show, too.

Note: the link here is to the video; you have to log into the site to read the article, but you can log into WSJ.com with Facebook if you like, or open a free account just to access it. You don’t have to subscribe to WSJ. If you like The Pioneer Woman, it’ll be worth it to sign up for an account.

One more thing on The Pioneer Woman and I’ll shut up: if you want to read something very funny, check out this article, and the one before it that’s linked, on how she had more experiences doing a Bobby Flay Thanksgiving Throwdown than you saw on TV. I couldn’t stop laughing when I read it. I didn’t really pay attention to Ree until 2011, when her bio came out. I needed a good read after a bad breakup, and that fit the bill–I finished it on a Saturday night. Hey–no date, why not?

And now for a change of subject. . . .

A few years ago I dated a guy who had this bizarre idea that I would just LOVE to live in a mobile home in the middle of nowhere. He was partially right. I would like to live out of the city, but under no circumstances in a mobile home, anywhere. He’d actually done the mobile home thing and loved it. Me, I’ve been in one or two. They’re lovely on the lot. . .and then the word “tornado” turns that lovely abode into a pile of rubble. No. But I did start doing a bit of gardening, and although last year was mostly a wash after I was laid off (long story) I did, finally, after our recurrent spring-winter ended, get started on my own garden.

The plot I have is 5′ x 8′, a lot smaller than Ree Drummond’s garden (she has oodles of room to grow stuff!) and so I’m particular about what I’m growing back there. (Basically, I want food.) I worked my paws off getting the weeds dug out and the plants I bought up and running. For the last year or so, the rosemary has been growing just fine, and the mint plant I’ve had for probably 3 or 4 years. Sometimes I forget to water it, and there aren’t many leaves; then I remember to water it, and POOF! Mint juleps all around (or whatever you like fresh mint for.) Mint MUST be planted in a container, or it will take over the garden; it’s very invasive. (I know that from Martha Stewart.)

BTW, when Martha Stewart talks about “container gardening,” she’s using lovely, hand-thrown artisan-made pottery. When Amy talks about “container gardening,” she’s using 5 gallon paint buckets from Lowe’s and Home Depot. I don’t mess around. I’ve used the hole punch to put drainage in the bottom of the buckets. Works so far.

So over the weekend I bought two tomato plants, one Meyer lemon tree, a strawberry plant, one flat-leaf Italian parsley plant, and a bell pepper plant. (I think it’s red bell peppers.) One of the tomato plants is called “The Container Tomato,” and I hope it gives me some. The other tomato plant is something else, but when I got it home, I realized it had three tomatoes already growing on it:

The two larger tomatoes at the base of the plant

The little tomato at the top of the plant

So, I figure if nothing else, I’ll get three tomatoes out of this plant. But I’m hoping for more.

I’ve not had good luck with tomatoes, nor with cilantro parsley, but I keep trying.

If you wanna just grow something, I do have a suggestion: green, or spring, onions, aka scallions. No kidding, they’re incredibly easy to grow. Next time you go shopping, pick up a pot to plant in and some potting soil (or use what you have already, if you do.) Then next grocery trip, buy some spring onions, and cut off the white root end, and plant the white root end into the soil. No kidding. I read that online, tried it, and I haven’t bought green onions since. That was, maybe, 3 years ago? Now, the ones I bought were big, thick ones, and they grew back skinny. Do you think I care? Just remember to water them. Take a look:

Fresh green onions, basically free after the initial cost

Yes, that’s green onions. However much they cost at the grocery, you’ll never buy them again if you just plant the white root ends and water them. (That’s an aloe vera plant and a few more green onions on the left side; the aloe vera is new, those onions in the round pot are also 3 years old.)

I grow the green onions and the rosemary to make a couple of my favorite dishes whenever I want, and I’m also going to try and re-grow a sage plant (which I had but lost last summer) and also garlic. Now, you can buy garlic seed bulbs from nurseries, but what I’ve done is waited until my grocery garlic sprouts and plant the cloves. I love, love, love, the shoots that grow out of the ground from the pods. However, in order to harvest full heads of garlic, you have to leave them to “over winter,” or give it until next spring. No kidding. I have yet to be successful doing that, but I do love nibbling on them garlic shoots. (I’m not kissing anyone, so who cares?)

Also growing is the top of a pineapple cut last year from one bought on sale at the grocery. It’s a Hawaiian pineapple, and, well, it’s growing, but I don’t know what the heck to do with it. So I leave it in the pot. Maybe one day I’ll have a tree with pineapples growing on it.

Basil, I was hopeful for, but the snails have gotten to my plant once or twice, and it seems stalled. I’ve watered it, transplanted it into a bigger container, and well, it seems like it doesn’t want to grow anymore. Might pick up a packet of basil seeds and plant more around the base of the plant. I want my freezer full of freshly made pesto, darnit!

I’ve also planted some sunflower seeds back there, and will plant some summer mesclun lettuce this weekend (’cause I forgot last weekend.) When they start growing, I’ll post some pictures.

So, to show you my back patio area, here you go:

This year’s HeatCageKitchen garden

Why do this? Because I WANT to. I want fresh tomatoes at my fingertips, and the ability to give them to friends if I can’t eat them all in time. I WANT Meyer lemons that I don’t have to go to Trader Joe’s for. I WANT fresh bell peppers all the time!!!

And if I ever get my wish of a place to hang out in the country and write blog posts all day, I can eat good without having to head to HEB before doing so.

It doesn’t hurt to dream.

And hey–if you live in an apartment, don’t think you can’t grow stuff, either–today’s WSJ also has an article on gardens for apartment dwellers. (Pun alert!) Believe it or not–this apartment gardening industry has its roots in, ah, well, the non-legal green herb trade. (You know what I’m talking about, and it’s not houseplants.) Solar energy and solar-powered stuff also sprouted from these non-legal growers of the herb I won’t mention here.

If you can’t trust *those* herb growers, who have been growing indoors since the 1960’s, who can you trust to help you grow lettuce and basil indoors?

Well, anyway. . .I’m going to bed early, so enjoy the linked articles, and sit tight–I plan more interesting foodie things soon.

Happy Dining!