August 2014, in pictures

I may have gone blog-silent (intentionally) for the month of August, but it still was an exciting month, filled with food & travels. Part of the reason for my travels was to see some of my family, but I also am under the care of an excellent doctor in Warren, MN. He's the more functional medicine oriented doctor who started me on this new lifestyle (basically a version of the Autoimmune Protocol of paleo) and oversees my supplements etc. Periodically I need to travel back for follow up appointments with him & some additional treatments. I planned this trip to be a little longer than most I've done in the past, specifically because I didn't want to spend the whole time back in the doctors office. Both my sisters were home for the first portion of the trip & my husband came for the Labor Day weekend. In between treatments, we spent some time at the family lake cabin on Tulaby Lake in Minnesota, and drove all the way to Chicago (and back again) to help my youngest sister move.

Here's a few favorite iPhone pictures, some of which have been posted on Instagram and Steller.  Side note: Steller is fast becoming one of my favorite apps! Go check it out if you haven't yet.

I made a couple pavlovas with lemon cream cheese & strawberries for some dear friends' send-off party. Though I couldn't have a taste (dairy, sugar, corn, egg whites etc…), everyone else really enjoyed eating them!  

Recipe can be found here (I just added some lemon juice & zest to the filling). 

An experiment in making grain-free and nightshade-free stuffed cabbage, using "no-mato" sauce. Yum! 

Pretty lingerie decorated cookies for a very special bachelorette party 

(click on the picture if you'd like to see it in a larger size). 

Now that I finally own a spiralizer, I want to spiralize everything! Zoodles for everyone! 

Mollie: Oh, you were planning on doing some yoga? I just thought this pretty pink mat was for me to lie on…. 

Sisters slacklining. I tried it, but I'm not very good (and it hurts my feet).  

Watching my youngest sister water ski.

Jumping into freezing cold water Tulaby Lake.  

Dinner on the screened-in porch at the cabin. The grilled marinated pork, with balsamic stone fruit, mashed butternut squash & sautéed spinach were all delicious (and autoimmune protocol compliant)!  

My mom makes waterskiing look SO easy…  

Our oven at the lake doesn't work, so one afternoon,  I created this no-bake stovetop Blueberry Peach Crisp 

with coconut almond crumble (Autoimmune Protocol compliant, with the reintroduction of almonds). 

Stay tuned for the recipe in the next post!  

We made a version of Mickey Trescott's Sear-Roasted Pork Chops, only we grilled them. 

They were so delicious that I forgot to take a picture after they were cooked!  

Now that I've successfully reintroduced a few foods, 

I'm cautiously venturing into the world of autoimmune protocol/paleo baking. 

This paleo zucchini bread was pretty good, but needs a bit of tweaking before I'd share the recipe. 

Driving to Chicago with my youngest sister & her new roommate.   

Pre-baseball game dinner at Rockit Burger. My bun-less, cheese-less, nightshade-free burger 

with sweet potato fries was a great Autoimmune Protocol option, 

though I did *really* want to try my sister's "breakfast for dinner" burger 

with doughnuts for buns, fried egg & bacon….

 Attending my first ever professional sporting event 

(and I unintentionally dressed in the colors of the home team).

 Fire! Our first experience at a Japanese steak house for Hibachi. I

 thought it would be a cross-contamination nightmare,  since I can't eat gluten, soy,

 dairy, nightshades etc. But thankfully, they cooked my meal of steak & veggies first. 

 Driving through the Twin Cities on the way back to ND. 

Somewhere in Minnesota. 

 Grilled marinated flank steak, roasted green beans & roasted potatoes for dinner at my parents house, 

where I tried unsuccessfully to reintroduce white potatoes.  *sigh, perhaps someday…  

Back to the lake for Labor Day Weekend--this time with husband too!  

Another dinner on the porch at the lake (Autoimmune Protocol compliant, again). 

Shrimp Scampi (Grandpa's favorite) over cauliflower puree.

Perfectly calm water during the golden hour. 

 Another gorgeous sunset. 

Fishing with husband in Grandpa's boat. I did manage to catch a couple fish! 

Though, I still need someone to bait my hook & take the fish off ;) 

Husband's catch: sunfish & crappies.

Husband's catch, cleaned, scaled, stuffed with lemon & herbs, ready to be eaten! 

farm Lake to table at it's finest! 

With the successful reintroduction of eggs (though not in large quantities), I've started making paleo mayo! 

Yay, condiments! This recipe from "The Healthy Foodie" is my favorite (and SO easy). 

Fun way to display vintage fishing lures at an antique store in Dorset, MN. 

Husband ate the most amazing looking churro ice cream cone in Dorset, MN.

I, on the other hand, ate an apple… 

 The end of another perfect lake day. 

Hot cereal for breakfast is a favorite childhood lake memory. 

Since I've successfully reintroduced rice, I splurged on some cream of rice cereal 

with blueberries & coconut milk (though I don't plan to eat rice often).  

The screened in porch just might be my favorite spot at the cabin. Miss Mollie agrees, too.  

Husband swims, while I just dip my feet in and contemplate the merits (or lack thereof) of cold lake water…. 

Goodbye, lovely lake cabin! Until next year! 

Stay tuned for my next post on making stovetop Blueberry Peach Crisp! 

Pecan Pie (GF)

Sometimes, we do not fully realize a person’s influence on us until they are no longer with us. Case in point, my friend Chef John Michael Lerma, who sadly, at the age of 52, passed away earlier this month.

John Michael, or JML as he is often referred to, was a native of my home state of North Dakota & also attended my alma mater, the University of North Dakota, though in the past years, he resided in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.  In addition to being a noted food writer, cookbook author, and competitor in culinary competitions, he also taught in various demonstration kitchens, was a representative for Emile Henry bakeware, and he lead culinary vacations (!!) to both Italy & Mexico.

While I was working at the University of North Dakota Wellness Center, both in the marketing department and as an instructor for the Culinary Corner Demo Kitchen, John Michael did several guest demonstrations. He also cooked for us demo kitchen employees a few times & just talked to us about life and experiences.  He had such a big heart & truly loved food (and people). I was so saddened to hear of his passing.

When I met John Michael, I was in an interesting place in life... I knew I would be moving to South Carolina the following year to fulfill my dream of attending culinary school, but I didn’t really know what life would bring beyond that. Having also earned an art degree in graphic design/photography and also having worked in a marketing department, I really appreciated an atmosphere of collaboration & helping your fellow artists become the best they could be. But it seemed to me as though kitchens were often more competitive than collaborative. John Michael really embodied the spirit of collaboration I found was lacking in many kitchens. It was easy to tell from conversations with him one-on-one and from seeing him teach a room full of eager pie fans how excited he was about sharing his knowledge with others. He genuinely cared about his audience & wanted them to be as successful as possible in their kitchen endeavors. He was genuine, not at all afraid to reveal his own tricks & tips.

John Michael was famous for many food items (I still love to make his pizza dough & this amazing creamed mushroom dish I saw him demo once), but pies were one of his specialties.  He won seven (!) national pie competitions & his second cookbook is entirely pie themed.  I thought the best tribute to him was to make a pie in his memory. And to make that pie in the pink Emile Henry pie dish he graciously gave to me (and autographed) on one of his visits.  With Thanksgiving around the corner, making his pecan pie recipe, adapted to be gluten free, seemed the most appropriate.

In preparation to make this pie & write this post, I reflected on my experiences with John Michael Lerma. I like to think that perhaps his genuine, caring manner has influenced my own style, both when I was teaching in a culinary classroom, and now as I “teach” through blogging. I hope that I can portray even a fraction of his passion for food & for others. I will also forever remember him as the person who introduced me to the wonderful world of Vanilla Bean Paste(which truly is one of my favorite baking ingredients).

John Michael, you will be missed!  But your legacy will live on in your cookbooks & in the many lives you touched!

Pecan Pie (GF) 
adapted from Garden County Pie
yields 8 servings 

1 recipe GF Pate Brisee 
tapioca starch for dusting 

FILLING
4 large eggs, room temperature, well beaten
5.25 oz / 3/4 c Granulated Sugar
2.65 / 1/3 c melted unsalted butter
3.65 oz / 1/3 c pure maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup)
5.5 oz / 1/2 c light corn syrup
5.5 oz / 1/2 c dark corn syrup )i only had 4 oz, so i added an additional 1.5 oz of light) 
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp Bourbon (optional) 
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 c pecans, broken, plus additional for decorating the top of the pie (for me it was 3.9 oz +2 oz inside) 

Whipped Cream for serving, optional 

1. Make the pie dough & allow it to rest in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (overnight is even better. 
2. When ready to assemble the pie, remove the dough from the refrigerator & place it on a surface that has been well dusted with tapioca starch. Dust the top of the dough & the rolling pin with additional tapioca starch.  
3. Quickly roll out the dough, keeping it as circular as possible, until it is a little larger than a 9” pie pan.  Move the dough around on the counter/board to make sure it isn’t sticking.  
4. Gently fold the dough in half & place it into the center of the pie pan.  Unfold the dough & press it lightly with your finger tips & knuckles until it is formed to the pan.  Use a knife or kitchen sheers to cut off any excess.  Place the pan into the refrigerator while the rest of the filling is made.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, melted butter, pure maple syrup, corn syrups, vanilla bean paste, bourbon and sea salt. Add the pecans & stir to combine.
7. Remove the prepared crust from the refrigerator & set on top of a rimmed sheet pan. Optional, use the edges of a spoon to make the scalloped pattern by gently rolling the tip of the spoon (I used an ice tea spoon) over the edge of the dough. Add a divot inside each scallop.  
8. Pour the prepared filling into the crust.  Place additional pecan halves around the edge of the pie, if desired.
9. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 F, then reduce the oven to 350 and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes.  Check the pie often in the end stages & cover the edges of the pie with foil if they become too dark.  When the pie is done, the edges should be set & the center will be just a little wobbly.
10. Remove the pie from the oven & allow to cool completely. Refrigerate, if possible, a couple hours before serving--this will make cutting the pie easier. 
11. Cut into pieces & serve with whipped cream, if desired. The crust will be very crumbly, but delicious. Leftovers can be stored room temperature in a covered container, but the pie is easier to cut and serve when refrigerated. 

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Mom's Apple Crisp (Gluten Free)

October 1st will always be "Apple Crisp Day" to me. But not just any apple crisp, my mom’s now famous apple crisp.

My dad, along with his  business partner Steve, took a leap of faith and started their own engineering company on October 1, 1991. Those first years were not easy ones as they worked to get their business established. Lots of time and effort goes in to the creation of a company! I remember my dad working extremely long hours in those early days & also doing extensive traveling....

Amidst all the hard work, they did take time to celebrate. The company’s first anniversary was celebrated with cake, but, every anniversary since then has been celebrated with delicious apple crisp, made by my mom.

Fast forward 20+ years, and that same company, which started with two people in a tiny basement office of a downtown building, has since grown exponentially.  There are now more than 200 employees in over a dozen branches in different cities throughout the upper midwest!

It never ceases to amaze me when I remember where they started back in the early 90s and see how much things have changed today. What an incredible thing. I’m so proud of them :)

The apple crisp tradition continues still today. I have very fond memories of visiting Dad’s office every October 1st (or on a date near there) to help hand out pieces of crisp to every employee present. The employees who have been there for years & years have come to expect & anticipate the coming of apple crisp!

As many years as it is possible, the different offices will have an apple crisp celebration party all together via video link. And Mom has graciously shared her recipe with people in each office so that they might all share in the same signature dessert.  The main office has become so large that several employees volunteered to each make a couple pans of apple crisp, so that Mom isn’t making apple crisp for quite so many people...

A few years before Dad’s company was founded, my parents planted an apple tree in our back yard, and that apple tree has provided the fruit for many years’ crisps. Most years, the crazy tree produces SO MANY apples that my parents have to pick a bunch of the non-mature green apples early in the season so that their weight doesn’t break the limbs of the tree.

This year was different.  The tree decided not to produce a single apple, which meant my mom had to find a new source for apples this year.  But I have high hopes that next year their tree will be back to its overproducing ways :)

I haven’t lived in my hometown nor attended the annual anniversary celebration in several years. I also haven’t made mom’s recipe in quite some time because my body just hasn’t seemed to like oats (this recipe just isn’t the same without them). But I’ve been experimenting with trying Gluten Free Rolled Oats & so far I don’t seem to have the same unpleasant symptoms I’ve had in the past. Hurray! 

So this year, I made Mom’s recipe.  I scaled it down slightly, because I knew it wasn’t a good idea to have a 9x13 pan of apple crisp for just the two of us--I doubt I’d have any self control when it comes to a pan of apple crisp.  I used a little cornstarch (instead of flour) to help thicken the apple juices & substituted gluten free flour & gluten free oats in the topping.

The intoxicating smell of the cooking apples & the spices as the crisp baked permeated the whole apartment.  It was torture to wait the nearly two hours it took for the crisp to properly bake.  Even with the slight changes, the apple crisp was perfect. Though I wasn’t back with my parents to celebrate in person, we celebrated in spirit with our bowls of warm crisp topped with melting vanilla ice cream.  I tried not to lick the bowl :)

Happy Anniversary, AE2S!


Mom’s Apple Crisp
yields approximately 6 servings

3.5 oz / 0.5 c Granulated Sugar (may adjust depending on sweetness of apples)
2 tsp cornstarch 
2 tsp Cinnamon 
4 medium large apples (I used a mix of 3 Granny Smith & 1 Fuji, which came to about 21 oz once peeled, cored & sliced)

2.15 oz (0.5 c) Flour (I used Gluten Free)
1.75 oz (0.5 c) Rolled Oats (I used Gluten Free)
3.75 oz (0.5 c) Brown Sugar
1/8 tsp Baking Soda
1/8 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Cinnamon
pinch Sea Salt
2 oz (0.25 c) Unsalted Butter, cold

Ice Cream, for serving (optional, though not optional in my book!)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8 square pan or a medium gratin dish with nonstick spray or a little softened butter.  
2. In a large bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Peel, core and slice the apples.  Mix in with the sugar mixture.  Pour into the greased pan & compress slightly . 
3. In a separate smaller bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt.  Cut the butter into small pieces & use a pastry cutter or two forks (or very quickly work with your not hot fingers) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.  Keep the mixture slightly lumpy & crumbly.  Immediately distribute the crumb topping over the apples. 
4. Place the finished pan on top of a rimmed pan (to collect any juices) and slide into the oven. Bake for between 60 and 90 minutes, or until the top is browned and the juices are bubbly--mine took close to 90.  
5. Cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream. 
6. Store any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.  Leftovers are great cold (even for breakfast, shhhh!) or warmed.  Consume within a couple of days.  

Notes: To any readers who are gluten free but can't eat oats (even if they are gluten free), make the same apple base & try topping it with my gluten free almond topping recipe.