Redefining The Muffin at Chez Gossett

On 7 November, 2011 I put myself on the "O" Blood Type Diet.  
I had just been diagnosed with high cholesterol and put on lipitor on 31 October.  ACK.  So I did what any normal 50 yr old woman would do; I flew to Vegas.  Jenni, Ang and Mikey met me at the airport and the hilarity began.  
I did take a good, hard look at what menu choices I would have normally considered and made better decisions when we dined.  I listened intently to what Mikey had to say about Paleo and the positive impact it had made on her system.  While the Paleo nutrition path sounded intriguing and close to what I needed to do, some things just didn't feel quite right for me.  
We had a glorious weekend.  I love them.  I miss them.  
Upon my return to CO and my newly acknowledged high-cholesterol self, I picked up my old copy of Eat Right 4 Your Type.  I devoured the pages on what it means to be an "O".  All the symptons I was experiencing coinciding with all the wrong dietary choices I had been making were CLEARLY laid out for me in black & white.  Time to get serious.  
And I did.  I was militant.  And frustrated. And stuck.  And scared.  I would eat the same thing for 6 meals, because it was all "clean" and I wasn't comfortable exploring.  Yet.  (That's another post.)
Fast forward 9 weeks to a check-up blood draw.  I realized I had never asked for my numbers in Oct.  I got them and it scared the crap out of me.  I hadn't cleared this diet with my Doctor.  I had gone on instinct. She was agreeable that the things I cut out were all good things to cut it (with an undertone of "if you have indeed done what you say have done")  Well, I had done.  And it worked.  
But it took them 5 days to get results back to me and I felt like a ticking time-bomb.  What if I had totally sabotaged my already compromised heart?  
In 9.5 weeks, I dropped my cholesterol over 100 points - with the help of this diet and lipitor.  I could go off the meds.  Immediately.  
I gave up: wheat, corn, cow dairy, pork, white potatoes, avocado, cauliflower, lentils and lots of legumes, coffee, hard liquor & white wine.  (What's left, you ask?  That's another post) Many of these items have given me profound epicurean joy in the past.  They were, in fact, messin' up my system.  
It's been hard.  Some days sad and frustrating and some days rather expensive.  I've scraped $8 of gluten free flour into the garbage because my pizza dough experiment didn't work.  I don't like the taste/texture of gf bread/baked goods/pizza.  So I gave them up.  
This Summer my friend Linda "pinned" me with a recipe she had found on Pinterest: GF chocolate chip zucchini bread.  I kinda ignored it til she gave me a bite at her house one afternoon.  Amazeballs (Jenni!)  I found the blog: Gluten Free on a Shoestring, found the recipe and made it 3 days later.  First try, not bad.  Not bad at all; in fact, delicious.  I've made it a number of times since then and tweak it a bit more each time.  Last night I made a variation with fresh Palisade Peaches, Fresh Blueberries and few Blackberries and a handful of dates.  YUM.
I'll write more about this new life I have, eating an "O Life"; but for now, I'll just stop boring you and share the recipe.
Proceed with caution:  I'm not a Baker.  And the GF Baking game is very new to me.  But these turned out wonderful.

Jilly's GF Fresh Peach-Blueberry Muffins (O compliant)
preheat oven to 325º
Spray 2 12-muffin pans

whisk together:
1 c Pamela's GF Baking & Pancake Mix
1 c Pamela's GF Bread Mix
1/2 c Almond Flour
1/2 c Oats - I used Quaker quick
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 c granulated sugar
1 c dark brown sugar
set aside.

In a food processor whizz together:
1/2 c chopped dates
1 soft banana
3 eggs
1 c olive oil
2 T soft butter
1 T vanilla
fresh zest of 1 lemon

add:
3 peeled and chunked fresh peaches
1/4 c blackberries
pulse 6 times.

Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients along with 6 oz fresh blueberries.  (I would have also included 1/2 c chopped toasted pecans, but Mother Hubbard's Cupboard was bare)  
Scoop into prepared muffin pans.  
Bake for 20-25 mins...til done.  :-)

Turn out onto racks to cool.
YUM.

Settling in

I am finding a groove here and have managed to gather around me a group of Foodie/Wino Girlfriends who I have come to adore.  The truly lovely thing is we are all a short distance away from  each other - bike ride/walking distance - and we all seem to enjoy the spirit of a spontaneous celebration.  In consideration of our busy lives and Spouse's wacky travel schedules, we actually put something on the calendar; and we made arrangements for child care!
The Gossetts were the hosts for a Julia - inpsired Pot Luck last Friday.  It was hilarious.  The Girls wore pearls and the Men brought wine.
We each contributed a dish that was either a Julia recipe or inspired by a Julia recipe.
We started with lovely Cheesie Things and Champagne - and opened up a bottle of our Portland Home Brew that we made with the Powells a few Summers back.  It was a surprisingly warm, inviting and cozy Red; an auspicious start to the evening.
Linda made a luscious creamy Potato Soup that we garnished with White Truffle Oil - superb.
I made a Chicken Fricasee with caramelized Fennel, Onions & Mushrooms with a dash of Pernod and finished with Cream. And a Green Bean Gratin that FAILED.
Sharon made individual Cheesy Potato Souffles - deelish.
Kat made Roasted Asparagus - yum.
Deb made a Fresh Berry Pavlova - heaven.
Unfortunately, this is the only pic with posting:

We drank a lot of wine.  It was rather scandalous.  And terribly fun.
As Julia says, "Above all, have a good time".


Here's the recipe for the chicken:
Chicken Fricassee with Pernod Cream Sauce
Serves 4

8 Chicken thighs - bone in, skin on, trimmed of excess fat
Olive Oil & Butter - it's French
1 onion - sliced thin-ish
1 fennel bulb - sliced in 1/4" wedges, core intact
8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms - halved
2 cloves of garlic smashed and chopped well.
couple sprigs of fresh thyme and a bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock
1 c heavy cream - it's French
2 T Pernod

Bring 2 T each olive oil & butter in a large (oven proof!) saute' pan to med-high heat. Lightly dredge thighs in seasoned flour. Carefully place skin side down in hot pan and cook for 5-7 minutes til a nice golden crust has formed on the skin; turn over for another 5-6 minutes.  Remove from pan, set aside.  
Add sliced onions and thyme to the pan with all it's juices and such and cook 'til onions soften and caramelize - adjust heat and add more oil/butter, if necessary - about 15 minutes.  Add Fennel and get a nice sear on the wedges. Season with S&P. Remove onion and fennel from pan, set aside.  
Add 1-2 T butter & O.O. to pan and toss in your mushrooms.  Cook until you get a nice sear on all the sides and juices have mostly evaporated. S&P. Add Garlic, toss around quickly for about 30 seconds.  Add onion/fennel mixture to pan along with bay leaf, chicken stock and Pernod.  Bring to a boil and reduce a bit.  Add cream, reduce a bit more, taste and adjust seasonings.  (You can add a bit more Pernod here if you wanna!)
Heat oven to 325.
Add chicken to stock mixture, skin side up and nestled in on top of vegies and liquid. Place in preheated oven for approx 1 hour.  
Garnish with fresh chopped Tarragon and Parsley and serve with smashed potatoes, egg noodles or soft polenta.

Bon Appetit!!

New Chapters...

Seriously? The last time I wrote anything was June? Yikes.

We have moved. We are back in the great State of Colorado - where our relationship began nearly 17 years ago. The only other adult relationship I've had longer than Michael is my contract with Wine of the Month Club. www.wineofthemonthclub.com They rock.

So does Michael.

We are in a rental house. Someone else's structure/kitchen/property/problem. It's weird. It's limbo. I'm cooking on an electric, glass cooktop. It sucks.

It's beautiful here. Just driving to Target is gorgeous. RIDICULOUSLY GORGEOUS. I've lived in Colorado before. It's the only place I've ever lived where no matter the weather, I look out the window and breathe deeply, "I live here!" After 15 soggy (but so green!) years in Portland, I'm now looking out the window in fascination with another sunny day. And I am bewildered by the odd grey morning/afternoon/2 hours.

But. I miss my friends: my community - my shops - my Girls - my person. It's profoundly hard some days. EVERYTHING is new; I feel like I'm constantly interviewing for a new job and it's exhausting. I just want to BE.

We are buying our own home. That will feel good. I think it will be profoundly important for the 3 of us to re-create "our space" for us to start the process to being settled - taking root. There will be 2 guest rooms...

I don't necessarily want to move back to Oregon; I love Colorado. The Rockies have always brought me to tears of joy. But I am just not interested in the part of this new chapter that re-defines every single one of my Portland relationships. This part is agony. I miss you all so very much. I miss singing with you, walking with you, whining/wining with you, cooking for/with you, adventuring with you, hugging you, honking at you, waving to you and worshipping with you.

I would like each one of you to consider moving here. I will cook for you.

xo

Coconut Carrot Bisque

I served this soup at a "Luncheon for Ladies" earlier this Summer. Rather cheeky of me, but it was an experiment. Normally, one should do a test run of an experimental recipe a few weeks or days before the debut. I ran out of time. I got lucky.

I had a vision for something luxurious and exotic, but somehow familiar. I did a little cookbook research and came up with this. It was absolutely delicious.

I recommend preparing this a day ahead; re-heat slowly and adjust seasonings/acidity to taste.

Coconut Carrot Bisque

serves 10

2 T Olive Oil

2 T Butter

2 leeks, white part only - sliced

2 Shallots - sliced

hunk of ginger, peeled and sliced

2# Carrots peeled and chunked

1/4 c dry sherry

2 cans coconut milk

3 c chicken stock

1 t Chinese Five Spice

salt & pepper

squeeze of 1/2 lime

Saute' vegies in olive oil & butter til soft. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock and Chinese 5 Spice; simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and puree using immersion blender - be careful, soup is hot.

Add S&P to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Cilantro-Mint Pistou

1 c. each fresh cilantro & mint leaves

1 T chopped red onion

1 garlic clove

squeeze of fresh lime

1 T water

pinch of salt, grind of pepper

1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil

Whizz it all up in a blender til it's pureed. Chill til ready to use, bring to room temp before garnishing soup.

To serve: ladle soup into warm bowls, drizzle with Pistou and serve immediately.

I also garnished with "frizzled" (fried) fresh leeks.

You could substitute the leeks with a bit of toasted coconut and perhaps a few chopped pistachios.

Janet's Friend's Coconut Shrimp w/ Red Curry

My dear friend, Janet posted this recipe on her FB page last week. I made it last night with a few tweaks and it was a Grand Slam. It's absolutely delicious and it all came together in ONE HOUR. I would serve this for an elegant dinner party. Pre-cooking the shrimp the day before and re-heating in a hot oven would be the ticket!

Curry Sauce - 4 demure servings

• 1 13.5- to 14.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• 12 whole green cardamom pods, crushed
• 3 fresh kaffir lime leaves (3 double leaves)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste - I used Thai and True
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)

For curry sauce:

Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk to blend and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Let sauce stand at room temperature 10 minutes for flavors to blend. Strain. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)

** I added some slivered red bell pepper and a few fresh Kaffir leaves when re-heating. Added whole basil leaves just before serving.

Coconut Shrimp

• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut - I used sweetened, it's what I had.
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs - whisked thoroughly
• 1 c flour w/ 1-2 t salt
• 20 uncooked large (U20-25's) Shrimp: peeled & deveined - thawed, drained, dried
• Peanut oil for frying. I used a combo of Canola and Crisco.

For Shrimp:

Mix panko, coconut, lime zest and s&p in deep bowl. Using the dry hand/wet hand technique: dredge Shrimp in seasoned flour, dip in egg wash, and then into Panko mixture - press to adhere. Place on clean plate. When all the shrimp have been coated and covered, bring 2"-3" of oil to #375 degrees. Do a "Test" Shrimp: Carefully lower shrimp into the hot oil and cook about 2 minutes per side, 'til lovely golden, honey-brown.

Drain on paper towel.

Continue in batches, not crowding shrimp, til all are cooked.

To serve: place a mound of jasmine or basmati rice in the middle of a bowl. Cover w/ Sauce and top with 4-5 Shrimp. You can garnish with a bit of slivered scallion and chopped cilantro.

I'll Have the Salad Rolls

I've been exploring Salad Rolls, lately...Vietnamese or Thai? While I believe my ingredients lean a bit more Thai, I'm probably wrong...perhaps just ignorant to the nuances of Asian Cuisine.

I've taken them to a few dining events in the past year; Wonder Girl has claimed them for her school lunch "sandwich"; I just whipped them up for our Anniversary Lunch. I added bits of leftover Asian Pork Ribs. We love them.

I have to admit that I cheat a bit when it comes to the filling. A bag of Trader Joe's Brocoli Slaw is a great place to start. I also love pre-shredded carrots or a regular ole bag o' Slaw. The rest is "true" fresh and whatever happens to be in the fridge: julienned radish, Napa cabbage, cucumber, scallions...

But here is the secret to really lovely salad rolls: FRESH HERB-age. I love the combo of fresh Mint, Cilantro, Thai Basil (green basil is fine) and uber-minced Kaffir Lime Leaf.

I like a bit of noodle in my salad rolls. Cook up a bit of Angel Hair, shock it, shake it and toss it with just a bit of "something": I use Soy Vey Sesame Salad Dressing.

Get all your stuff ready:

*Toss all your fresh veg and herbage together and sprinkle just a titch of Fish Sauce and Fresh Lime juice on it. Toss again.

*Have the noodles ready.

*A dish of room temp water

*Open the Salad Roll papers

*A clean-ish cutting board

*A "guest" item is nice. I used sour Mango sprinkled with a bit of Agave syrup this time around.

Completely submerge the first paper in the water. I spin it around to judge to suppleness. When it's softened, place it on the cutting board. this will take some practice. Toss the papers with cracks in the middle.

Place a bit of noodle just off-center.

Add the Veg-Herb Mix.

Place the "Guest" ingredient on the top.

Roll it up like a burrito - snug. If you've ever been to

Chipotle...

I like to place a perfect Cilantro leaf near the end for a fab show-through finish.

Wrap each Roll in saran and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Peanut Dipping Sauce:

1/4 c. creamy Peanut Butter

1/4 c. Rice Wine Vinegar

3 T Soy Sauce

2 T Asian Sweet Chili Sauce

1 T Sriracha

Shake WELL!

Serve on a platter with the Dipping Sauce and watch them dissapear.

Seattle Delights

It's Spring Break and Michael's Birthday Week - a happy time in the Gossett home. We decided to come up to Seattle to play, eat, celebrate and explore. It's been a lovely 34 hours.

First stop in the Emerald City was lunch at Tom Douglas' Serious Pie. It is serious Pizza pie. Our Server Cassie was amazing and the food was wonderful.

Prior to checking into our Base Station at the Seattle Hyatt Place, we meandered over to The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. After agonizing over the day's selections, we each chose 2 for after Dinner. Surprisingly difficult to do on full tummies.

The afternoon activity was Experience Music Project. While we do appreciate Jimi Hendrix and his genius, I would not consider any of us Gossetts3 rabid fans. We are not Battlestar Galactica officianados. The guitars were very cool. We should have saved our $42 for another time.

To salvage our afternoon, we decided to take the trip up to the top of the Space Needle. Quinn decided weeks ago that she wanted to treat Michael to his ride for his Birthday gift. She took the $$ out of her ipod savings and rolled it up in a special card that she designed herself. We spent twice as much time up there, seeing what we could see and learning what we could learn, than we did at EMP. It was glorious.

Dinner at Wild Ginger was tasty and dissapointing, all at the same time. The food was quite good, but not extraordinary, and the service was "coy". Either our server was over-stationed or he just didn't really care about us. Don't need to go back.

Our late-night (and am post work-out!) cupcakes were delicious.

Today was spent exploring neighborhoods we've only had time to get lost and turned around in on previous trips. We drove around Queen Anne a bit, spent most of the day in Ballard - wasting a meal on a forgettable lunch at "whatever Coast Cafe" - stopped in at The Chef Shop (oh. my.) and then drove up in to Magnolia. So lovely.

Oh, did I mention it was a GORGEOUS day?

I would have to say that the highlight of the past 2 days has been tonight's dinner. Last Summer, I reconnected with a childhood friend on Facebook. Our parents were good friends when we were little and we spent a lot of time together as families (she had the best Barbies) Sadly, we lost track of each other in middle and high school.

"Rosie" joined us for dinner tonight at la Carta de Oaxaca. The food was delicious and the place was hopping on a Weds night. The line was getting longer outside and we were finding it hard to leave and say goodbye. They were very polite as they took away every soiled plate, utensil and salsa ramekin and wiped the table in front of us twice.

It was just delightful to lay eyes and arms on her and have the opportunity to just start to scratch the surface of sharing our stories with each other. She's gorgeous and vibrant and talented and creative and a survivor. I honestly can't wait to make up for the 38+ years! There is no photograph recording this momentous occassion and that makes me sad. Can we get a Do-over?

Tomorrow: we take Capitol Hill and Pike Place. Then Home.