Long time no talk

So it has been a while. In that while I have done many of things... Graduated from college, traveled to St. Louis, welcomed in the New Year, and started a gluten free diet.

Yesterday was my first fully gluten free day. It was simpler than I thought. I made a delicious pasta with gluten free noodles, grilled chicken, and more vegetables than you could imagine. Also I tossed up a salad with gluten free italian dressing (and the more tempting part was not putting croutons on the salad!). And whoever says you can't have delicious desserts that are gluten free are totally wrong. Betty Crocker makes a line of cake/cookie/brownie mixes that are gluten free! I whipped up the chocolate chip cookie mix last night and I cannot stop eating them!

CIDER MILL

What a wonderful and warm day to travel to the Cider Mill! My family and I took my niece to pick her pumpkin and eat delicious cider and donuts while enjoying each other's company. I could tell you all of the cute and funny stories that occurred during the day because Elliana is 2 1/2 years old and any kid at her age is hilarious.

I will tell you that she picked two pumpkins herself; one for herself, and one for grandma.

WESTVIEW ORCHARD & FARM

JIMS PANCKES

This guy.... wow!

I was reading yahoo yesterday, I seem to do this a lot in my down time, and I stumbled upon an article about Jim. Jim, is one cool guy. He makes these extravagant pancakes for his daughter and my gosh they are amazing. Check out his site for his gallery and some videos on how Jim makes these delicious creations.

JIMS PANCAKES

SOUP FOR A RAINY DAY

I didn't get to post anything yesterday due to an extremely busy day. Soup making, lunch with a friend, homework, dinner with the mama, and a partner project I am currently working on! Phew, what a long day!

Anyhow, another recipe from this month's bonapetit!

CHICKEN/VEGETABLE/DUMPLING SOUP... minus the dumplings because I ran out of time to make them! It is utterly delicious and I am enjoying it for my lunch today.

Unlike my last recipe here are photos from my actual dish:

I brought some to my mom last night to enjoy for lunch today as well. I love soup on a rainy day.

ALSO-- I finally received my invite for pinterest!

I JUST COULDN'T HELP MYSELF...

I have been trying to think about something to write in here all day and thanks to a friend, I now know what to post. If you are ever having a bad day and are down in the dumps I highly recommend surfing the web for funny animal videos (especially kitten ones). They will cheer you right up. Although this particular friend did not know I was down in the dumps she sent this to me anyway...

VIDEO: Wut doez dese leg tingz do?

I guarantee this will put a smile on your face, and if not then I am sure we would not make good friends!

Lets all hope tomorrow will be a better and brighter day!

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO

This weekend was pretty stressful. So many things to juggle and not enough time to do everything I wanted to do! Needless to say, to calm down a bit I always cook or bake. I picked up the newest copy of bon appetit while purchasing some essentials from the store. When I got home I read the entire thing in one sitting and imagined what each recipe would taste like. I decided Sunday to go to the store with my Dad and grab some ingredients for the Wild Mushroom Risotto. After getting some homework done I decided to make the risotto with my friend Jamie. I started before he arrived at my house, but he certainly is a great sous chef and helped me finish this wonderful recipe!

My next recipe to tackle this week is the chicken/vegetable/dumpling soup. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Also, there was a great section on baking with maple syrup and maple sugar!!!

RECIPE FROM BONAPPETIT.COM: (picture is from the website!)

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Ingredients

• 9 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh wild mushrooms (such as cèpe [porcini], hen of the woods, chanterelle, or stemmed shiitake); large mushrooms sliced, small mushrooms halved or quartered
• 7 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup finely chopped leek (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 1/4 cups arborio rice (8 to 9 ounces)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup dry white vermouth
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving (optional)

Preparation

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 of mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Sauté mushrooms until tender and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to medium bowl. Working in 3 more batches, repeat with 6 tablespoons butter, remaining mushrooms, and salt and pepper.
• Bring 7 cups chicken broth to simmer in medium saucepan; keep warm. Melt remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek, sprinkle with salt, and sauté until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and increase heat to medium. Stir until edges of rice begin to look translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add white wine and vermouth and stir until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup warm chicken broth; stir until almost all broth is absorbed, about 1 minute. Continue adding broth by 3/4 cupfuls, stirring until almost all broth is absorbed before adding more, until rice is halfway cooked, about 10 minutes. Stir in sautéed mushrooms. Continue adding broth by 3/4 cupfuls, stirring until almost all broth is absorbed before adding more, until rice is tender but still firm to bite and risotto is creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, if using. Transfer risotto to serving bowl. Pass additional Parmesan cheese alongside, if desired.

SWEET POTATO TOTS!

So there is this little micro-brewery located in Warren right off the service drive of 696 at the Groesbeck exit. Its called Dragonmead My good friend Julie Haven plays here every other Saturday night and from time to time I show up for some good beer and music. I headed out last night not really thirsty for beer (for once) or hungry for anything. But when I arrived it really is half impossible NOT to order something here. So I ordered a pint of the Oktoberfest. OOOOBER delicious, I might add! While waiting for other friends to show up I peer over the menu just for fun. The one thing that caught my eye were SWEET POTATO TOTS. I have had many sweet potato dishes; baked, french friends, chips, etc. But never have I had sweet potato tots! for $2.50 I thought I would give it a shot.

When the tots arrived they didn't look like anything special, they didn't even really look like a normal tater tot. My first bite into one of the tots and I knew the whole basket would disappear and there would be none left to share. There are by far the best tater tots I've ever had. They are pictured below, along with my beautiful friend Julie :)