Summer Staple - Seafood

 

Amazingly, it took Parrish and I moving away from the beach to get us to cook seafood for ourselves. When you live on the coast, it’s way easier to go out to a local seafood shack (Dock Street Oyster Bar how we miss you!!) You may remember my Father’s Day Post, with a super simple recipe for a Southern Boil, and my bacon wrapped trout recipe. July 4th weekend, Parrish attempted his own new recipe…CRAB LEGS!!!!

He also made a “side dish” Southern Boil! :) The crab legs were on special and our friends Alex and Bobby were visiting…like you need a reason to make crab legs anyway!! Parrish and Bobby arranged a sweet set up outside on our deck too!! (It’s our coffee table covered with a layer of plastic and a layer of newspaper!!)

To make the crab legs Parrish used a stock pot with a steaming basket in the bottom. He filled it with 3 inches of water and dropped in a few clusters at a time. He steamed them for 20-30 minutes, but he said you just steam them until they’re pink.

No plates needed…and I’m pretty sure the stack of forks stayed clean! :)

I may…or may not have taken more than my share of claws…

Yummmmmm

Parrish’s brother Morgan heard about the spread and came over!! :)

Making crab legs at home is so much more affordable than having them out!

 

***Don’t forget to enter in the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Giveaway!!! Leave a comment on the post or email me: marlowapril –at- glutenhatesme.com with which mix you’re dying to try to enter!!

Other fun things to check out:

I love this article on how to have fun without breaking the bank! Game night anyone?

Happiness Can Be Found All Around Without Breaking the Bank
Ideas on making each day wonderful without spending a lot of money.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1871987/happiness_can_be_found_all_around_without.html

A Gluten Free Giveaway

A Gluten Free Betty Crocker BONANZA!!!

I would say that my favorite thing about blogging is the community that you find, not only in your readers but in other websites that bring bloggers together. My Blog Spark is one of those websites. My Blog Spark provides a central location for bloggers to share and discuss their favorite products, plus they often provide you with a sneak peak at products. This past week they offered me the opportunity to give away a Gluten Free Betty Crocker Gift Pack...and of course I jumped at the opportunity!!

So starting tonight, leave me a comment with which mix is your favorite, or if you haven't tried them yet, which mix you've been dying to try. You can also email me: marlowapril -at- glutenhatesme.com to enter. I'll use the random number generator next Thursday, the 16th to decide the winner.

Good luck!!

Summer Squash Gratin

 

Our fridge is bursting at the seams with summer squash. Both produce drawers are full…more wait on the counter…and even more are growing outside in the garden. A little tip: one summer squash plant per two adults should be MORE than enough. Parrish and I have three. :)

It doesn’t help that I’ve been feeling pretty uninventive in the kitchen lately. I’m still adjusting to my new town, home, and job. Plus, I don’t work at a food co-op anymore, so I don’t get to spend all day dreaming about food. I didn’t really notice the squash piling up, but after this weekend’s harvest, I began looking up recipes and making a plan of attack.

Gluten Free Summer Squash Gratin

You’ll need:

2 yellow squash, sliced (I used my food processor; a mandolin would work too!)

1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes, sliced

1 cup shredded cheese (Gruyere would be best, but I used Colby Jack)

2 cups Gluten Free Bread Crumbs-I made my own using Whole Foods GF bread

Zest of one lemon

SAUCE:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup parsley, oregano

Sprinkles of minced onion, red pepper flakes

Two garlic cloves

To make the sauce, use a food processor or hand mixer and combine the herbs with the olive oil and garlic. Process until relatively smooth. Add in the onion and red pepper. Give it a dash of salt too. (I don’t use salt when I’m experimenting. I try to use as little added salt as possible, and I find that I usually don’t even miss it!)

To make your own bread crumbs, roughly chop four to five slices of gluten free bread. I used my food processor and I used Whole Foods Sundried Tomato and Garlic Gluten Free bread. In a sauté pan, melt 3 tbsp. of butter over medium heat. Toss in the bread crumbs and cook until the bread is saturated and crisp.

In a large bowl, toss the sliced squash and potatoes with the sauce. (I reserved a tiny bit of the sauce to sprinkle on top). Add in 1 1/2 cups of the bread crumbs and 1 3/4 cups of the cheese. Mix well.

Preheat your oven to 400. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and sprinkle the bottom with the zest of one lemon. Evenly spread out the gratin mix. Top it off with your left over bread crumbs and cheese.

The cook time really depends on your oven and the thickness of your sliced veggies. Mine cooked for an hour. I would check a slice of potato after 40 minutes.

Serve it with a sprinkle of your left over sauce and a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt.

I had the leftovers for lunch today. Tasty!! The crisp bread crumbs are SO GOOD!! (It would be even better with a sprinkle of crisp bacon…but so would pretty much everything!)

Coming up on Thursday…a GIVEAWAY from a NEW gluten free brand!!! :) Any guesses?

Add a little Zest!

 

I had a terrible migraine yesterday. It rumbled up soon after breakfast, and hung out with me until I went to bed last night. I tried all my usual tricks: dark room, cool cloth, and even though it sounds as if it didn’t work, it actually did because I didn’t wake up this morning with the same headache. A migraine for me, will always last one day, but if I do everything right, it won’t stay for a few days.

So this morning I woke up with a fresh perspective, and wanted to add a little…ZEST to my breakfast!

Scrambled eggs with lemon zest and pepper!! I made my usual breakfast scramble (yes, I still can’t make an omelet!!), but I added a tbsp. of lemon zest and a sprinkle of pepper.

Sautéed peppers, onion, and garlic with two egg whites and a sprinkle of cheddar, lemon zest, and pepper. Tasty!!

I’m convinced that lemon zest makes everything taste better!

Cool as a Cucumber

 

Here in the South, you’re always looking for new ways to beat the heat. So when I saw a write-up in the newest Body & Soul magazine entitled Keep Cool, I read it quickly. In the snippet there are three recipes for ice cubes that infuse flavors fresh from the garden. You can add the ice cubes to your water for a fun twist, or a cocktail for a fresh take.

This summer Parrish and I are growing cucumbers, and this past week we have harvested several large cukes. So I decided to try the Cucumber Basil ice cubes. To make, puree one cucumber (peeled and seeded), 1/4 cup torn basil, and a pinch of salt with one cup water. I also added a dash of lemon juice.

Pour the puree into an ice cube tray and freeze.

For a fresh taste, use the cubes in a glass of water or seltzer. I used lemon line seltzer for extra zing and bubbles.

Garnish with a sprig of basil.

This drink could easily be made into an cocktail too! Just add a shot of vodka or gin, and a bit of simple syrup!

Fresh, clean, but most importantly…COOL!!

My NEW Summer Staple

 

Thanks to my best friend (and sister!!) Joan I am now OFFICIALLY addicted to Sonic’s Diet Cherry Limeade! On Tuesday we were hanging out with my Mom, celebrating her birthday. We were en route to some cute shops in Pittsboro, when my sister pull into a Sonic and announces that it’s Happy Hour; from 2-4 all drinks and slushies are half off! She recommended the Diet Cherry Limeade, but she did warn that I would get hooked. It was SO good! Sweet, tart, and refreshing!!

Gluten Free Father’s Day

 

The 1st Anniversary of my gluten free life is fast approaching, but it was my very first gluten free Father’s Day. It was important for me to prepare one of my Dad’s favorite meals for him on Father’s Day…and it just happened to be completely gluten free!!!

Parrish and my Mom helped, and by the time my Dad got off work, supper was ready: Low Country Boil.

A low country boil is by far one of the easiest meals to make. Bring a big pot of water to a boil with a pouch of Crab Boil spices. Ingredients and amounts can vary. You can really make it what you want. We chose shrimp, red potatoes, corn, and light chicken sausage. 

First we boiled the potatoes for 10 minutes. Then we added in the sausage and corn. After boiling that for another 5, we added in the shrimp.

Cook until the shrimp are done!

Tasty! Most folks sprinkle the end result with Old Bay, but I forgot! I had a very small serving of shrimp and corn. I was saving room for the best part: Gluten Free Vanilla Pound Cake

I have never made a pound cake, with or without gluten. But it’s one of my Dad’s favorite desserts, so I gave it a try. I looked up a few recipes online. I thought I understood the basic gist…and I winged it. Good thing it was a success!!!

I modified this recipe that I found here.

I substituted a gluten free baking mix for all the dry ingredients and I used light vanilla soymilk in place of milk. I kept my fingers crossed…and Voila!

I made a quick lemon zest glaze with about 1 tbsp. lemon zest and powdered sugar. To make it into a glaze, you just add warm water and whisk. Add as little or as much water to get your desired consistency.

When the cake was still in the Bundt pan, I drizzled the glaze into the cracks of the cake. This gave the inside of the cake an amazing flavor and texture. Once cool, I flipped it out of the pan and drizzled the remaining glaze on top.

 

SO GOOD! This recipe has became an official contender for the dessert at my wedding!

Crisp, crunchy, golden brown outside with a warm, buttery cake inside.

Happy Humpday!