Flourless Chocolate Torte...My 3 Ingredient Indulge

My parents visited over the most gorgeous Labor Day weekend in September. That extra Monday off makes for a good excuse to travel, and a celebration was definitely in order because it was my mom's birthday. The air was crisp, and almost zero humidity meant that my hair looked fabulous. With a new patio set on the porch - we laid the tablecloth, lit a little candle as a centerpiece, and made a point to eat almost every meal outdoors with mother nature. The hum of the cicadas is such a relaxing sound for me - a forecasting of fall that almost lulls me to sleep.

I am a girl (I guess 24 gives me the right to the title "woman" or "lady") who truly appreciates the thrill of baking new recipes...and of coarse having them turn out! Our experimental recipes were delightful, and our stomachs were filled with egg souffles, cappuccinos, and my dad's homemade pickles all weekend long. My mom's birthday cake was also a new endeavor, and a recipe I think I could bake every week for the rest of my life. I've been searching for a good excuse to buy a springform pan; so naturally, when I came across The Gluten Free Girl's flourless chocolate torte http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2005/09/plummy-red-wine-and-flourless.html with only 3 ingredeints we had to make it. Eggs, chocolate, and butter - what could be better? Unexpectidely, this became a family baking affair and a good one at that. Mom constructed a cheap substitiute for a double boiler and melted the chocolate and eggs. My sister beat the eggs and folded them into the chocolate/butter mixture. And my dad (this is why I love him so) helped me wrap the foil around the outside of the springform pan making sure not to let any moisture in (very important!). My dad is pretty much a man's man...shooting guns, making beer, etc. but he also had a wonderful teacher for a mom. My grandmother showed her boys how to bake...and he's actually taught me a lot.

We placed the springform pan (with buttered sides and a parchment paper covered bottom) in the roasting pan insulated with foil. After all the ingredeints were in, we carefully placed it in the oven (with the oven light on) - I was so worried about burning it. I admired this time in the kitchen - all four of us - baking. 

 We followed the recipe to a tee and added a spritz of character on the top to satisfy my newfound love for anything with hazelnuts. We finely chopped the hazelnuts in the food processor and sprinkled them on top when the torte was finished. Each piece was complemented with a dollup of vanilla ice cream. I think this was one of the best birthday cakes to date. Happy Birthday Momma!   

grapples, plumcots, and hybrids, OH MY!

I probably love grocery shopping more than anyone you have ever met.  Scanning the isles for new items, weekly deals and steals, and comparing labels - a few of the simple pleasures in life that I adore. So naturally, Trader Joe's is like Disney Land for me. Last week, I was making my usual rounds, and I noticed a crateful of plumcots on sale. Unconsciously, I think I've steered clear of hybrids...partly because of my "fresh out of school" budget, and partly because I was unsure about them. The word hybrid causes me to reminisce of my days in HS biology learning the "ins & outs" of the punnet square. This word does not conjure up "natural or fresh from the garden" thoughts for me.

But, It turns out that a lot of the produce I already put in my grocery cart are hybirds..those gorgeous heirloom tomatoes and golden rice.  But one question must be on your mind. As humans are altering these fruits and veggies natural genetic makeup - are these foods still safe? The word on the streets (aka the most current research articles) tells us that hybrids are perfectly safe for our consumption. With hybrids, typically the only thing to watch for are any added dyes that could cause problems for a small group of people. Also, in the case of the plumcot - make sure you know what the hybrid acutally is. If apricots make the back of your throat itchy....probably not a good idea to try out the plumcot.

I do think that these fun fruits like the grapple and plumcot are interesting to even the pickiest of kids - maybe enticing them to add another serving to their fruit and veggie goals.

PS: I waited as long as I could (about 3 days) to let my plumcot fully ripen...and it was delicious! It definitely has a more dominant plum flavor and just as sweet as candy.  

Menu Suicide?

Menu Suicide.... a phrase that has stuck with me and has altered the way I shop. I have paid more attention to packaging and the tactics used by companies to grasp the consumer's attention (especially in the GF section). I recently traveled to the great Windy City in hopes of gaining some insight into my career goals during the final weeks of my dietetic internship. The last three weeks were up to me to decide, and I spent seven enlightening days there with a chef (also an RD), known for submerging herself more and more in the gluten free world.

After my eyes dropped out of my head at the NRA show, and I experienced the life of a culinary student at one of the local schools, the Chef and I spoke a lot about nutrition marketing. The first thing I look for on a menu are the healthy options - calories and fat grams, even better! But what about the every day consumer? Do the hearts, stars, asterisk, and smiley faces next to the healthy options say eat me or leave me? Do consumers still feel they are compromising flavor if they choose the healthy option? If this is the aura surrouding healthy items I can only imagine how the everyday consumer views GF. So the next question is how do we go about marketing GF items? Do we hide the claim on GF and have it as some kind of "bonus feature" or do we shout it from the rooftops and hope that the local Celiac group will take the product and run with it?

I would love to hear your thoughts as consumers or manufacturers. What will happen with the GF entrepreneurs ? Will they decide to take on the GF pros with the cons?

Night Life

After six and a half hours of driving, the feeling of finally being back home in Charleston... sooo relieving. Exhausted from an all too exciting weekend - my first bridesmaid experience and my best friend's wedding. I came home early to work at the gelateria for a couple hours -it was a rainy Sunday evening. It wasn't until closing time that I realized I had a late night errand to run. On my way, I realized life existed and thrived after 10pm. I've lived in Charleston since August, and came from a small town where the roads were clear by 8. As I drove, I saw people washing cars, manning late night drive thrus, and some were just meandering down Charleston streets. I realized that this town never stops - even after I hit the pillow night after night. So here is an ode to the late night crew, who work the night shifts and make life that much more convienant for the day timers. Here are a couple of late night snacks that won't pack on the pounds and will surely keep you going from dusk till dawn.

1. Rice cake layered with lite mayo, garlic powder, tomato and fresh basil, and topped with a fried egg.

2. favorite veggies and 1 T hummus

3. Larabar

4. Emerald nuts 100 calorie packs (coco almonds are fantastic!)

5. half an apple with 2 tsp almond or peanut butter

6. one small potato with 1/2 c salsa and 2 tbsp fat free sour cream (Wendy's anyone?)

7. 4-6 oz of nonfat or lowfat yogurt

8. airpopped popcorn (great sprinkled with cinnamon and chai for those with a sweet tooth)

9. cottage cheese and crackers

10. water packed tuna on wheat bread

Suspended

It was 6:32 am and at this moment I was speeding across the gridline streets of Charleston to see the sunrise...a phenomenon I take for granted every single day. I feel this is as appropriate as it gets for my first post - as the sunrise is the epitome of new beginnings. 6:42am and this was as far as I could make it on the bridge before the sun came up. We forget that we are suspended on Earth among the stars...

If going through the motions was a crime, I would surely be sentenced to life. I felt like life was passing me by, and so I decided to run the bridge and slow the passing of time at least for a little moment. Reason #2 for running the bridge: I felt the shame and aftermath after devouring extremely too many balsamic fudge cookies the night before.. only a part of my new found obsession with the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/. Balsamic has sparked my amature culinary interest - this delightful vinegar is just enough to cut the sweetness in anything from gelato to baked goods....mmm...

In addition to being one of the elite 8 dietetic interns at MUSC, I work at a local gelato shop. I trick myself into thinking that if I eat enough gelato, I can will myself out of my lactose intolerance. This is definitely not the case, but the pain seems worth it for a cup of our renown marscapone and balsamic. I tweaked this recipe a little for gf purposes: I substituted 1 c. gluten free pantry all purpose flour and used powdered sugar instead of vanilla. These cookies melt in your mouth and definitely a recipe fulfilling my choco fix and one I'll bake again and again.