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Wassail and Make It Fast, Cook It Slow Cookbook

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering.

Full disclosure: I was provided a complimentary copy of Make It Fast, Cook It Slow by the publisher. However, I was not paid to write this post/review.

Wassail. It’s not just for holidays any more. Seriously. Deliciously. Sometimes I think we do a huge disservice when we label dishes as holiday or seasonal favorites and only serve them during a very brief time window. Wassail, hot spiced punch, is one of those favorites. Traditionally served in the fall or over the holidays, it just seems to get forgotten once those have passed. But, it shouldn’t be. Last fall, one of my favorite bloggers and now my dear friend, Stephanie O’Dea, of A Year of Slow Cooking (and Totally Together Journal) posted  a wassail recipe. A quick peek at the ingredients and I knew I had to make it. I doubled the recipe and served it to my support group for our next meeting. After one sip, I fell in love with this wassail. Our members loved it, too. I ladled what was left back into a glass jar with the help of a funnel and stored it in the refrigerator. Then I just reheated the wassail a mug at a time; it worked well. I even shared some with Mom and Dad when they stopped by for a visit; they thought it was great as well.

The focus of this month’s Gluten-Free Progressive Dinner Party (GFDP) is Light Winter Warmers. Everyone else participating quickly signed up for some fabulous soup recipes. I’m rarely short of soup ideas, but I wanted to be different. (Yes, I’m like that sometimes.) So I thought I’d share a warm beverage instead and Stephanie’s Wassail came to mind. Would wassail qualify as a light winter warmer I wondered? A quick check online showed that wassail actually means “be healthy.” Wassail it was then. This wassail is gluten free, dairy free, and even refined sugar free, but no worries, this wassail has no unusual ingredients and it tastes sensational. I made it again last night for our support group meeting. The folks who have had enjoyed it previously were very pleased to see my large oval crockpot full of golden liquid with sliced Cara Cara oranges and cinnamon sticks floating on top. Others were singing its praises after a few sips. They were juggling both mugs of wassail and mugs of chicken tortilla soup, but they didn’t mind. (There was also great salad, parmesan crisps from Kitchen Table Bakers, cornbread, raw butternut squash soup, fresh cooked greens, Udi’s whole grain bread, and desserts like banana bread, brownies, flourless chocolate orange cake, carrot cake, cupcakes, and even more that I can’t recall. Our meetings are always a feast!) I’ve only made this wassail recipe without the brandy, but I’m sure adding brandy as per Stephanie directions would be lovely, too.

Now here’s the really great news … not only do you get Stephanie’s wassail recipe, but she’s also donated a signed copy of her New York Times bestseller, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Slow Cooking, for a giveaway. Now, I love Stephanie’s book because it’s got gfe written all over it. Okay, not literally, but every single recipe is either naturally gluten free or gluten free by virtue of ensuring ingredients are gluten free. For example, in the classic comfort food dish, macaroni and cheese, one would just use a gluten-free pasta, such as the brown rice fusilli that Stephanie notes. For chicken pot pie (yes, in your slow cooker!), you’ll see gluten-free baking mix cited for biscuit mix. Want to make risotto in your slow cooker? There’s a recipe for that. Hey, there’s even a recipe for breakfast risotto with fruit and cinnamon and another for corn risotto (her kids called it “corn oatmeal”). How about granola? There’s a recipe. Unsatisfied with yogurt choices at your grocery store? Stephanie shows you how to make your own using the slow cooker. How about perfect gluten-free bread? Yep. Grab your favorite gluten-free bread mix or your own recipe and follow her instructions for some fresh, homemade bread. You might also remember Stephanie’s cornbread stuffing from our November Gluten-Free Progressive Dinner Party. I’ve made many of Stephanie’s recipes before and loved them all, but I’m anxious to try more. (You can read about some of the dishes I tried in my BlogHer Food Part I post.) Today I’m making Stephanie’s Salsa Chicken, and her Butternut Squash Soup (which is naturally gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free) is also in my plans. I could go on and on. Bottom line:  You’ll want this book!

The deadline for the giveaway is Wednesday, January 27, 9:00 pm, Eastern. Here are the many ways you can enter:

1. Leave a comment below.
2. Subscribe to my feed via email or RSS and leave a comment saying that you did.
3. Tweet about the giveaway sharing the link and leave a comment saying that you did.
4. Post a message on your Facebook page about the giveaway and leave a comment saying that you did.
5. Post about the giveaway on your blog and leave a comment saying that you did with your link.
6. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment saying that you did.
7. Become a fan of my new gfe-gluten free easily page on Facebook and leave a comment saying that you did. (I admit that seems a bit strange. Think blog friend, not fan. Someone who has fans also has paparazzi for goodness’ sake.)

All entries will be tracked by the individual comments, so you must enter a separate comment to get an additional entry. One comment showing you did all these things will only be counted as one entry, so please remember to note each by separate entries.

And, here’s the wonderful recipe:

Wassail
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

2 quarts apple cider
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup honey
3 sticks cinnamon
2 whole cloves
1 whole orange, cut in rings
brandy, optional

Use a 4 – 6 quart slow cooker/crockpot. This recipe makes 9 cups of juice.

Put all of the ingredients into the crockpot (not the brandy). Wash your orange well, and cut off each end. Slice the remaining orange into rings, and float the pieces on the top of the juice.

Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for about 4. You want the juice completely hot, and the flavor of the cloves and the cinnamon to have permeated.

Ladle into mugs. If you are going to add the brandy, put a shot into each mug, then top with the hot cider.

If serving to guests, provide a ladle, and keep the crockpot lid off, and the pot turned to low. If on warm with the lid off, it won’t stay quite hot enough.

Shared with permission from Stephanie O’Dea, A Year of Slow Cooking and Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

Shirley’s Notes: (Stephanie has used apple juice, which is shown in the photo, when apple cider was unavailable. Our bees’ honey tastes just right if this recipe, but if you don’t eat honey, feel free to experiment with another sweetener. Last, I find I have to keep my own slow cooker on “High” to keep the wassail hot enough. I do remove the top from time to time for periods of serving, but the “High” serving works best for me.)

Grab a mug and enjoy your wassail while checking out the other light winter warmers for the GFDP. All the entries have been sooo appealing. Earlier in the week, we enjoyed:

~Karen’s Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

~Alison’s Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Croutons

~Diane’s Winter Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup with Prosciutto Topping, plus her Mexican Seafood Soup, and

~Seamaiden’s Vegan Un-Chicken Roasted Vegetable Soup.

All amazing, huh?

Now let’s head over to Amy’s and Stephanie’s today. Think chili! Amy’s serving Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Sweet Chard. Stephanie’s slow cooked some Chicken Enchilada Chili. Tomorrow, we’re all meeting at Ali’s for Moroccan Chickpea and Potato Soup. What a party!

Enjoy and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Fall Abundance

There’s so much going on this fall in the blogosphere, specifically here at gfe (up front and behind the scenes), and in life in general for most everyone because the holidays are fast approaching. So we’ve just barely wrapped up Halloween, Thanksgiving is next week for those of us who celebrate in the U.S., and so many other holidays are coming up right after that. It’s all good as they say, but busy, very busy!

Have you ever wanted to join in on Progressive Dinner Party? You know … the ones where folks go from home to home with each host offering a different course? Maybe you wanted to join in on one, but didn’t want to have to actually do any of the work. Well, you’re in luck! Eight gluten-free bloggers, including myself, have a Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner Party going on right now!

~Ali of The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen 

~Jean of Gluten Free Organics … and More

~Karen of Cook 4 Seasons

~Seamaiden of The Book of Yum

~Diane of The W.H.O.L.E. Gang

~Stephanie of A Year of Slow Cooking

~Shauna of Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef

~moi of gfe—gluten free easily

This was an idea that was inspired by the immediate connection that we felt at BlogHer Food ’09. We all wanted to stay in touch and see how our relationships could further gluten-free awareness and make life a bit easier and, of course, more delicious for folks who need to eat gluten free. Diane of The W.H.O.L.E. Gang is the brain child of this specific idea. She’s ensured that we didn’t forget our intention and that we actually took action! (Thanks for your commitment to action; gentle and upbeat email reminders; annd work in setting up the framework for this event, Diane!) Not all of the fabulous gluten-free bloggers can join in this time around, but look for similar events and new faces in the future.

Yesterday Ali (The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen) and Jean (Gluten-Free Organics … and More) served the beverages. Go wet your whistle right now with Ali’s beverage and Jean’s drink recipe, so you can move on to the appetizers. Karen, Jean, and Seamaiden are “serving” those today! Tomorrow, you’ll want to check back here at gfe for a main course and head back over to Ali’s for another entrée option. My inside information says neither dish is likely to be on your menu already, so you’ll definitely want to check them out. Side dishes/salads will be shared by Diane, Stephanie, Shauna, and Ali on Thursday.  Finally, Karen, Jean, and Ali will offer up everyone’s favorite—desserts—on Friday. (I’ll add links when they are up.) That’s an entire Thanksgiving meal with a couple of options for each course—14 recipes in all! We’re hoping you’ll enjoy the dinner party (hey, no need to bring a hostess gift for this one!) and will get some great ideas for your own Thanksgiving meal next week. No worries if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving (or already celebrated in October if you’re one of our dear Canadian friends) … just save these recipes for another special meal.

Every Monday is a Slightly Indulgent Monday over at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free.  You’ll want to check by each week for a wide variety of wonderful recipes. Check out this week’s roundup and be sure to also take a look at the new e-book, Kid-Friendly Recipes—Best of the Blogosphere. Purchase is by donation amount of your choice ($1 minimum) with all proceeds going to St. Jude Research Hospital. What an easy way to help a great cause and obtain a wonderful resource!

 

 

Every Wednesday, Linda, our generous Gluten-Free Homemaker, hosts What can I eat that’s gluten free? The first Wednesday of every month has a suggested theme, but any gluten-free recipe, product review, restaurant review, etc. submission is always welcome. Linda is prolific with her recipes and informational posts!

 

This week is the third week of the Holiday Food Fest (read more here) and the theme is timely—Gifts of Good Taste. Come Thursday, participants will share their recipes for food gifts and even how to package them. Phoebe at Cents to Get Debt Free will be our budget-conscious and inventive hostess. If you’ve been wracking your brain on economical and/or clever gifts, this roundup could be the solution to many of your holiday giving dilemmas.

 

Friday is the Friday Foodie Fix (FFF) back over at Diane’s (The W.H.O.L.E. Gang). Diane selects an ingredient each week and asks folks to submit a recipe or post on the ingredient. Diane and the entrants have slowly, but surely building a great resource for gluten-free bloggers. Got mushrooms? squash? cranberries? There’s an app for that! Oooops, I meant Friday Foodie Fix! Oh, look, this week’s ingredient is turkey! But, of course. We can all participate in that one.

 

Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! (GAHIGF) is the monthly gluten-free roundup originated by charming Naomi Devlin (Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried). November’s host is Elana Amsterdam of almond flour fame! She blogs at Elana’s Pantry, and is now famous for her cookbook, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. (You might also remember Elana and her chocolate chip cookies from my BlogHer Food ’09—Part I post. She truly saved the gluten-free bloggers with her cookies.) Elana has chosen grain-free cakes and cupcakes as the theme for GAHIGF this month. You can read the rules for submitting an entry here. Do join in or at least read all the entries at the end of the month—it’s so much fun!

Speaking of cookies … do you love making them during the holidays? Then Drop in And Decorate might be THE easiest and most enjoyable way for you to give back to your community this year. Read more here at Stephanie’s blog on how she, Pillsbury, and Wilton are helping out with this mission. This annual charity event comes from the genius and giving spirit of Lydia at The Perfect Pantry.

Looking for a great new cookbook for yourself or a friend? How about a free one? (Free is often my favorite four-letter word!) Be sure to drop by Alisa’s at One Frugal Foodie for a week of cookbook giveaways. There are some fabulous cookbooks there with recipes from each that will make you look like a kitchen goddess. Enter each day and your odds of winning are considerably higher! The cookbook in today’s giveaway is The Garden of Eating. Who comes up with this ultra-clever titles? I want them with me when I write my cookbook one day. Incidentally, Alisa is also our resident dairy-free guru over at her Go Dairy Free site.

Now for some restful viewing before you head off to work on your “to do” list, here are some photos I’ve taken the last few weeks while I was “out and about.” (Incidentally, there’s a little indicator in those words of things to come here at gfe—stay tuned as always.) I call some of these photos motorcycle-driven impressionism … Mr. GFE guffawed big time at that one. See if you can see “us” in the first photo? (It’s somewhat like those “picture within a picture” images that were so popular a decade or so ago. Step back … relax your eyes, and then look.) The others were taken at the farm of my beloved friend, Jennifer. Remember the field of sunflowers in my Celebrations post? Same beautiful spot. Jennifer was my very gracious hostess the week before last. Somehow I ended up leaving at sunrise and sunset each day. (I’ll share the reason for my visit in an upcoming post.)

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

BlogHer Food ’09—Part II

 

When I shared BlogHer Food ’09—Part I, I told you I’d only covered the folks I’d met part of the way through breakfast. Here I am a month later to let you know about the other great folks whose acquaintances I made. I figured I’d better get on it because there’s a lot more coming up here at gfe—like several weeks of Holiday Food Fest. (You’ll want to re-read that post to be sure that you are at all the host blogs on the right day with the right recipe for the selected category. Of course, I’ll be posting recipes every Thursday that will link back to the right site. You’ll want to join in if you can—fun and fabulous prizes.) Even though a month has passed since BlogHer Food, it’s enjoyable to stretch out the event a little. I’m also happy to report that the connections I made there are continuing on much to my delight!

Picking up at where I left off  … oh, you might want to grab a beverage and get comfy—there’s a lot to cover here.

Gudrun of Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks—Gudrun was another smiling, friendly face. I was sorry I only got to meet Gudrun briefly at breakfast, because it was only later when I checked her site that I found out she’s a beekeeper. As many of you know, our family is also a beekeeping one. Save the honey bees! I didn’t get a photo of Gudrun, but see the picture below that Son snapped recently of one of my mother-in-law’s beautiful honey bees working.) Thanks for doing your part, Gudrun! Gudrun has a wonderful recipe up right now for Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (naturally gluten free). Check out her surface art work!

Danica of Danica’s Daily—My meeting with Danica was literally no longer than a minute, but she radiated warmth and friendliness. I checked out her site and she has some really healthy and very appealing recipes there. While her blog is not gluten free, most recipes are gluten free easily (gfe)—either naturally gluten free or easily made gluten free. Oh, and she definitely has a thing for Pumpkin Butter (how timely!)—and shows you how to make it and even shares a muffin recipe using her pumpkin butter. Danica has many other seasonal treats on her site at the moment, so you’ll want to check those out as well. There are lots of goodies, but the Smokey Black Bean Chili in Sweet Dumpling Squash Bowls caught my eye.

Dr. Jean Layton, both of Gluten-Free Organics and More and Gluten-Free Doctor—Jean is a naturopathic physician, chef, and just take-charge kind of gal. She’s confident and outgoing with an opinion on everything—I like folks like her! Both her sites are worth a read, particularly if you live in the Bellingham, WA area as she shares noteworthy area happenings. Her post on memories of making butterscotch candy with her mom is very special. I guarantee that it will take you back to cooking experiences in your own family when you were growing up. The candy recipe is, of course, gluten free! Want to see Jean and hear her philosophy? View a video of her at Diane’s The W.H.O.L.E. Gang site.

Michelle Lenz of My Wine Education— Michelle is also known as “Wine Girl.” She was part of the panel titled: How Blogging Best Practices Apply, No Matter Your Blog Niche. Michelle hails from Cincinnati and was one of the few speakers whose blog has a local emphasis. She shares info about wine tastings and other events in her area, as well as specifics on individual wines. Her husband plays the role of occasional contributor and “beer guy” per Michelle’s words. Michelle even offers in-home tastings for every occasion—now that is cool!

Damaris of Within the Corners of My Kitchen—Damaris is a very lovely, dedicated blogger and her blog is gorgeous. She was at the conference with her newborn of 9 days. I was amazed. She confessed she could never have attempted such a feat with her firstborn, but with the second one, she was more relaxed. Still, that’s blogging dedication! You can see a very charming photo of her little one on her site. Of course, there are wonderful recipes there, too—not all gluten free, but many are and others are adaptable. I’m smitten with the post on Pumpkin Snickerdoodles myself. I’ll definitely be giving a gluten-free version of those a try. Oh, and she just launched a new blog with her friend, a food blog for children called The Little Foodie. You’ll love the header I promise. Forget caramel apples … see the healthier variation that Damaris and Mariko have come up with instead.

Tara, also known as The Diva on a Diet, at Beach Eats (subtitled A Dangerous Combination of Dieting and Mascara)— What great fortune that I ended up sitting next to Tara at lunch! She’s a doll. We had such fun chatting! She even was gracious enough to let me stash all my loot in her posh room at the St. Regis, so I didn’t have to keep up with it at the terrace cocktail party or lug it back to my room at The Westin. She’s an enthusiastic foodie for sure, but a realistic one—I like that. And, she dishes on much more than food at her blog. Head over to her blog right now and you can read all about her snowy trip to Germany, plus you’ll also find a delightful recipe for a Leaner Meat Loaf (if gluten free, you’ll want to use gf breadcrumbs and Worcestershire sauce).

Gabrielle of Peanut-Free Mama—I only spoke to Gabrielle for a few minutes at lunch, but it was a pleasure. Passionate about protecting her own daughter given her peanut allergy, she blogs to ensure others know how to keep their own children safe if they have peanut and other allergies. Of course, a great alternative for those with peanut/nut allergies is seeds like sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Go to her blog right now and you’ll find a seasonally appropriate recipe for Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds. Check out the ultra fancy jack-o-lantern she has pictured, too.

Seamaiden of The Book of Yum—It was such a treat to meet, Sea, as she’s affectionately called. One of the gluten-free bloggers present, she’s cute and personable, always with a ready smile and fun to be around. We were all tickled pink when seamaiden’s husband showed up with their Baby Yum (as Seamaiden refers to her daughter). Baby Yum is just as cute as her mom, of course. Sea is a vegetarian blogger and the genius creator of Adopt-a-gluten-free blogger. Check out September’s roundup here.  Sea shows that eating vegetarian and gluten free can still be quite wonderful, as exemplified by her recent Vegan Shepherd’s Pie.

Alison St. Sure (Sure Foods Living) and Seamaiden (Book of Yum) enjoying Elana’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Karen Schuppert of Cook4Seasons— What a nice surprise to meet Karen! Although she was gathered into the gluten-free blogging fold, I did not know of her before this conference. I was so glad to be introduced to her; she’s a ray of sunshine. Newly trained as a chef , she’s also a long-time manager of a Napa Valley farmer’s market. And, if that’s not enough, she’s also a certified nutrition educator. I love her motto: “Promoting a healthy appetite for a thriving planet.” Her site is full of gfe-type recipes and wonderful guidance on a number of things. What’s new at her blog? Fresh pumpkin pudding, vanilla bean applesauce, and corn chowder. Not all of Karen’s recipes are gluten free, but most are and when recipes are not gluten-free, substitutions are easy ones.

Carrie Oliver, the CEO and founder of The Oliver Ranch Company—Carrie’s site says her company “hand selects natural or organic artisan ranchers who produce delicious, signature styles of beef.” I’m not the carnivore that Mr. GFE is, but still that appeals to me. You can even select your beef from particular regions. You’ll want to read her explanation on regional differences at Region Matters.  
 
Erika Kerekes of In Erika’s Kitchen—I met Erika at the terrace cocktail party. We were in a group of folks overlooking the city’s skyline on the warm and breezy evening. I was sorry we didn’t get to chat more, but we’ve connected via Twitter since the conference. She’s a devoted foodie with a fondness for fungi, especially truffles. You have to admire someone who titles a post “Oh, the Truffles I’ve Had,” even if it’s noted that it was a borrowed title.

Cora of Cora Cooks and Season to Taste—Cora was one of the last folks I met at the terrace cocktail party while we were both gazing out at the city, of course. Cora was sharing her enthusiasm about her time at BlogHer Food while I admired her business cards. They were a pretty nifty foldout design, with one of Cora’s recipes in the foldout. She said her husband was responsible for that small act of genius. I’m still thinking about stealing that idea …my card displayed Cora’s Pineapple Salsa—a naturally gluten-free recipe. Visit her blogs. You’ll find fall photos, memories, and recipes (e.g., molten chocolate cake and pavlova—gluten free or easily made gluten free). How about Brunswick Stew? It’s naturally gluten free, as long as you verify the status of all the ingredients.

Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes—Elise did most of the talking in the session on Protecting Yourself and Your Work. (Unfortunately, she’s had lots of experience with folks stealing her work.) Then she shared more at the closing comments for the conference. I learned a huge amount from what she said, enjoyed her comments at the closing, and really enjoyed the fabulous party she co-hosted at Tropisueno. Elise is a very popular food blogger, so you may well know her site already. Her Cashew Chicken is calling my name.  Elise kindly notes the adjustments that need to be made to ensure a gluten-free dish in the recipe.

Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen—Jaden spoke at the session, Your Blog Is Great … Now What? Jaden is enthusiastic and just plain fun. It’s no wonder she has such a huge following. I loved her advice on putting yourself “out there” to draw readers to your blog. By the way, Jaden was quite impressive on the dance floor at the party she co-hosted at Tropisueno. (Here’s a “stylized” view of her getting down.) It’s clear she’s passionate about whatever she’s up to … who doesn’t love that? Her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, is out. You’ll want to head over to her blog to see the video of her appearance on the Today show. (Don’t miss that post as it also shares a funny story about her book signing experience.) Want to read more about Jaden’s book? Head over to Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy and read Susan’s initial review of Jaden’s book, including her recipe for slow-cooked salmon, naturally gluten free. Oh my goodness, you know how I love salmon.

 

Helen Dujardin of Tartelette—Helen was also a part of the Your Blog Is Great … Now What? panel. She was eager to share all the different things she had done in promoting her blog and business. Search on “gluten-free” on her site and you’ll find a bunch of mouth-watering recipes, including Helen’s revised Bouchon Lemon Tart recipe post that features Shauna, the Gluten-Free Girl, and “Little Bean.”  You’ll want to read more about Helen here. Her site and food photographs are stunning … I can only imagine how phenomenal any of her specialty sweets would be! I snapped Helen “working” in a semi-quiet spot while the rest of us were enjoying the terrace cocktail party.

Amy Sherman of Cooking with Amy—Amy was the moderator/third speaker at the Your Blog Is Great … Now What? Amy is another very popular blogger. As her blog header shows, she shares recipes, reviews, news, and travel. She has a gluten-free section on her blog, but only has two items listed. However, there are other naturally gluten-free recipes there, like her Guilt-Free Panna Cotta. Amy, Jaden, and Helen engaged in a lively discourse. They shared many viewpoints, but disagreed on quite a few as well. Those of us in the audience found that refreshing, and in the end, I felt like I could go with the guidance that best fit my own style.

Lauren “LoLo” Ulm of Vegan Yum Yum—I really enjoyed Lauren’s part in the panel, How Blogging Best Practices Apply, No Matter Your Blog Niche. She was matter of fact and forthright about what one needs to share in photos on one’s blog. Not to mention, that she’s just plain adorable. She also has a new cookbook out—titled (what else?) Vegan Yum Yum. You can see a preview recipe, Hurry Up Alfredo!, at her site right now. Ensure that you use safe ingredients and you’ll be good to go!

Kalyn Denny of Kalyn’s Kitchen—Kalyn also spoke on the panel, How Blogging Best Practices Apply, No Matter Your Blog Niche. She had a list of tips and points she wanted to share with us and she didn’t relinquish the floor until she did. As attendees, we appreciated everything she had to tell us. She was so helpful and her list was so extensive that I haven’t yet worked my way through her list of “to do” items! Kalyn is a South Beach devotee. This is good news for us, her gluten-free readers. Low-carb diets, of course, feature many naturally gluten-free recipes, but Kalyn’s are some of the best you’ll find. “High taste” is always her aim. Other neat posts are Five Fun Things on Friday. Incidentally, she just posted about noteworthy gluten-free bloggers on BlogHer and is soliciting inputs from her readers. 

Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman—I didn’t get to speak to Ree, but I very much enjoyed her comments in the closing session. And, as I’ve stated, I thoroughly enjoyed the party she, Elise Bauer, and Jaden Hair hosted at Tropisueno. She lives on a ranch, homeschools, and shares recipes at the food blog part of her site—recipes I  that a phenomenal number of people clamor for I should add. If you can’t make her recipes gluten free, you can certainly use them for inspiration. Her new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, just came out! I plan to sit down with a cup of tea and a glass of wine later and read it from cover to cover! I took a peek and literally had to pull myself away from her story to get other stuff accomplished. Incidentally, her story includes her hunky husband, who she refers to as Marlboro Man.

Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake dessert cafe, Orson restaurant, and food television fame—Elizabeth is known as the queen of creative desserts … think offbeat and highly creative. She constructed a chocolate box from huge slabs of Scharffen Berger chocolate and untold number of ingredients that were the delicious contents within the “box.” Attendees donned plastic gloves and just grabbed a handful. (The unique dessert was not gluten free, however, so I didn’t take part.) I met Elizabeth just briefly at the Tropisueno after party. She was very friendly. Make sure you check out her site and read about the Scharffen Berger contest  for which she’ll be one of the judges. There are two grand prizes of $10,000. Yes, that’s right. One will be for the Sweet category and the other will be for the winning Savory recipe. Wow—time to get creative!

David Leibovitz at his self-titled blog, subtitled living the sweet life in Paris—If you don’t know of David, he’s an acclaimed creator of many dishes in the kitchen, but especially desserts. By all accounts, he’s a good guy. I really enjoyed his remarks at the closing. David and Elizabeth Faulkner were kind enough to take a photo with me at the after party at Tropisueno. David’s latest book is The Sweet Life in Paris. His next book, Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes, will be released April 2010. Last, you’ll want to take a look at his just posted The Top Granola recipe. I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for good granola recipes.  I’m very picky about my granola, but this one looks sensational—just use gluten-free versions of the ingredients listed.

Me, Elizabeth, and David 

Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites and his other site. I only met Matt for maybe a minute at the after party. We were both yelling to try to hear each other. I wish I’d gotten to talk to him earlier. He seems like such a nice guy. I really enjoyed checking out his blog, especially watching the video of him when he appeared on the Martha Stewart show and made one of his cookie recipes, alfajores. Alfajores are Argentinian sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche and dusted with powdered sugar. (They can also be filled with jam and/or covered in chocolate.) Of course, I plan to adapt his recipe to be gluten free. 

Christina Olson from Foodzie was passing out different artisanal treats, including some pretty fabulous gluten-free ones (like buttery treats from Made to Crave and handmade caramels) at the after party. Foodzie is a novel idea that has become a very successful concept. Be sure to check out all the wonderful food items that are offered there, from whole foods like chestnuts and pistachios to homemade granola and baked goods. A search on “gluten free” will yield some appetizing results for sure, but remember to look for the products that are naturally gluten free, too, and won’t show up in the search results—like those aforementioned chestnuts and pistachios, plus other items like pickles, and fruits and vegetable concoctions (how about cumin green beans?).

Meeting all the amazing folks at BlogHer Food was indeed the very best part, but some other highlights were the aforementioned presentations and parties, and the swag. Oh, the swag … especially from the after party at Tropisueno. I never even knew I liked swag, but give me swag from CHEFS, Cuisinart, KitchenAid, PUR, other food bloggers (free cookbooks!), and the like, and I am so there!

Let me say a little more on the sessions themselves. There were three tracks: visual, values, and vocational. Within each track, there were three sessions. I attended all of the vocational track sessions, but an attendee did not have to stick to one track. BlogHer said right up front that you could “vote with your feet” and just leave a session and go to another if the first one was not meeting your needs. I liked that guidance a lot—it just made sense. The sessions I attended were well done. Each was a panel discussion with Q & A at the end or throughout (depending upon how much the panel had to cover). All of the speakers were excellent, and some beyond excellent, because they were so passionate and enthusiastic. They were sharing critical information with us; all of attendees greatly appreciated the tips and info. In fact, one of the laments commonly heard was that we couldn’t possibly attend all the sessions we were interested in. However, the great news is that BlogHer personnel were “live blogging” on each session and you can read all the session write-ups at their site (look on the sidebar).

Does that mean that everything went perfectly at BlogHer Food? No, but perfectionism is often overrated. It’s usually not the perfect moments we remember and treasure the most. It’s the imperfect ones. I, for one, will never forget others eyeing my risotto that had been freshly made by the hotel staff. While it was not the best risotto I’ve ever had, I was somewhat amused that my “special,” gluten-free meal would have been preferred over the “standard” meal. A lot of grievances have been aired regarding the luncheon, but I’m sure that BlogHer will learn from the experience. We all learn when we make mistakes, right? Would everyone have been quite as “a-twitter” if the meal had gone flawlessly? Would we have accepted Rocco DiSpirito more if he had talked us through a shared meal that had taken hours to prepare? We’ll never know. I’ve voiced my opinion on the matter and I’m sure BlogHer will listen to all the input. In my short association with BlogHer, I’ve seen that they both solicit and listen to input.

In closing, I don’t know where BlogHer Food ’10 will be held, but I know I plan to be there. If you’re considering attending the next conference, as Nike said, “just do it!”

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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