This is my second choice for frozen mac and cheese. Amy’s makes a “GF” mac and cheese that is pretty delicious and has quite a bite. I put the GF in quotes because, unfortunately, Amy’s processes everything with wheat. I have a reaction to their products, and it makes my brain fuzzy when I eat it. So I had to exert some self control and put the nix on consuming said product, which is very sad – I really need Amy’s to get a separate manufacturing facility stat*.

However, Glutino makes an adequate if not somewhat plain, second choice. It lacks a punch, a hook, something for your tastebuds to latch onto. I find this to be extremely strange because they make it with a blend of monterey jack, cheddar, and parmesan cheese – a seemingly great combination.

Nevertheless, because it is my remaining and most available option I have developed some coping mechanisms to jazz it up! I tend to think of the product as a short cut and not a finished meal, simply a base that I can use to create a full meal.

So I make the prepackaged meal in the microwave, then I add in some extras. Usually I add some grated parm, sometimes bacon bits, and often something spicy;  crushed red pepper or perhaps Tapatio, my favorite hot sauce. These elements liven it up and I have an easy microwave meal.

So overall, Glutino, almost, but its not quite there yet. Maybe add some pepper jack? Maybe add a sharp cheddar? Something to change its lackluster taste to my number one choice!

The Glutino Frozen Mac and Cheese can be procured at Whole Foods and other such places. The price usually hovers in the $5 range and it does make an easy quick meal for those times when you don’t have time to execute a whole meal start to finish. Absolutely worth a try, so let me know what you think!

*While Amy’s does not have a separate manufacturing facility, it recently came to my attention that they do describe their gluten testing practices in their FAQs section and that they verify that gluten levels are under 20ppm.

This past week, I headed to Virginia to see a few friends from high school, K and B, and see Corelyn as well! We certainly ate our fair share (to say the very least.)

Here are some photos of what we enjoyed:

First, Corelyn and I visited Maple Ave, which was just delicious. We shared several plates, including this suki yaki shrimp, and the mac and cheese, below.

I am glad we had a chance to visit this local and locally sourced restaurant, which was quaint, had delicious food, and delicious beer.

After I made my way to Charlottesville, I had the pleasure of trying Bodo’s Bagels (in two locations!) I didn’t get a chance to photograph their bagels, because I was too busy EATING but here’s my coffee…

We also had a chance to eat at Revolution Soup, which I mistakingly called “Soup Rev” at one point…this is their Maryland Crab soup, and the basil/tomato/mozzarella.

This sandwich was delicious toasted, and went so well with my soup! Brittany got the peanut tofu soup, which was a delight, despite the fact that it was hot out – I am glad we went with soup!

On Friday, we ate on our hike (sandwiches, delicious) and had Bodo’s again. For dinner, we dined here:

Mono Loco had delicious tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and sangria.

Saturday morning we had homemade strawberry pancakes. Kelly sure knows how to whip up some batter (and Brittany knows how to make the strawberries even.)

Saturday afternoon, we headed to a few wineries.

Our first stop was King Family Vineyards in Crozet. Their wines were wonderful, and their tasting room was a delight.

We enjoyed a picnic outside, before going on a tour and then heading to Veritas, our second winery, in Afton.

That night, we cooked up some side dishes, but not before picking up some Belmont Bar-b-que.

This place supplied us with brisket and such good pulled pork I thought I might just move in.

Kelly and Aaron’s friend Caitlin made this delicious pasta salad for the occasion.

Aaron whipped up mac and cheese…

My plate…well, the first round. There was also delicious coleslaw which I neglected to take a photo of because I was too busy stuffing my face.

To top off the evening was strawberry rhubarb pie, that I regretted not having seconds of. Kelly made this pie look like a synch, and it was sweet, tart, and savory.

Sunday morning we went to Shenandoh Joe’s, but I didn’t get a photo because I drank my coffee too quickly…their single cup coffee was some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.

Saturday, I was treated to one last delicious treat before heading to the airport: Moo Thru. This coffee ice cream was the absolute best coffee ice cream I’ve ever had. Literally.

More pictures to come of the actual trip, but let’s be serious: the food was the most important part.

Have you ever been to Charlottesville? What are your favorite restaurants there?

Spinach My Soul indeed!

A few weeks ago, I traveled to New York for four days to visit with family and friends. In preparation I had managed to cook almost everything perishable in my refrigerator except for a huge container of spinach. Since there was no way I was going to let that go to waste, I looked into tons of things to do with spinach. I wanted something new, different, and with the ability to survive until I returned home. So what did I do? I made spinach pesto! Here is a super simple recipe I created based on what I already had in my kitchen. There are tons of variations on this sauce that you could make, so go crazy and get creative!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Yields: 2-3 cups of pesto

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups spinach
¼ cup olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt (give or take)
¼ teaspoon pepper (give or take)
1 ½ cup basil (give or take)

Directions:
Blend the spinach with the olive oil, slowly, alternating leaves and oil until the spinach is fully blended.

Add the rest of the ingredients, blending as necessary.

Overall, the pesto turned out super lemony, but in a delicious way. I think that was really what made this sauce so good. I was very pleased with the flavor, consistency, and staying power. I froze the pesto until I returned from my travels four days later. It was still delicious. So delicious in fact that I put it on anything and everything I could think of. I cooked meals just to get to use this spinach pesto. I can’t wait to make it again. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous with spinach. There is so much more to this leafy green than salads and sautéing.

What have you made with spinach recently?

The same night I made those choco-coco cookies, I also made a batch of GF cookies.

Baking for people with gluten intolerance and baking for someone with Celiac are slightly different, but I always say better safe than sorry. Here are a few things you need to know about baking or cooking gluten free:

First off, you should make sure you haven’t had flour in the air of your kitchen in the past 24 hours. The debate is still out on how long, but 24 hours is usually the recommend amount of time to allow pass before gluten will be safely out of the air. What does this mean? I made the gf cookies first, of course!

Second, make sure you check all your ingredients. For example, this mix was gf, but was my vanilla? Luckily, Costco/Kirkland labels their vanilla “gf” for you. Also check with your butter (which sometimes can be processed with wheat.) Eggs are usually fine, as are most dairy products (creams, milk, yogurt, etc.) But always, always double check the ingredient list!

Third, you shouldn’t use any porous kitchen utensils for both gf and regular use. For example, wooden spoons. Here, I used a wooden spoon specifically dedicated to gf use in my home. If you use another wooden spoon, it could have gluten (remember, Celiac reactions to gluten are measured in parts per million.)

Delicious, delicious cookies. Please note I added a half-teaspoon more than the recommend vanilla, to help sweeten them and make them stick better!

Something else to note: if you drop some of whatever your making, on the table, oven, etc., it is, as Melissa likes to say, “Dead to me.” Don’t add it back into whatever your making — unless you have a gf kitchen. Otherwise, that surface may be contaminated from some other cooking adventure! I ate this piece, as I am not gluten free — what a happy accident, indeed!

These cookies were divine. I wasn’t sure about them because they had the chocolate chips in with the mix, but they were so delicious they didn’t taste gf at all. And, they were a crowd pleaser among the gf people, too! Definitely a mix I will keep up my sleeve.

The box made about two dozen cookies, and they were all gone and cherished by gf and non gf alike!

Who doesn’t love a huge helping of spinach? Although I am not a big fan of completely wilted spinach, I do love spinach-flavored anything, and will gladly eat fistfuls of raw spinach (and usually do!)

Now, although kale and arugula have recently become my go-to green, spinach is a tried and true leafy green that is happening NOW. Spring is a great season to capitalize on the spinach that will fill your stomach and give you many of the vitamins and nutrients you need.

Did you know that spinach originated in ancient Persia? It then traveled to India, and China, and then Sicily, then the rest of Europe. By the fourteenth century, it was a popular vegetable in a slow produce season (spring left much to be desired!) Nowadays, the United States dominates the production of spinach, and California leads the charge.

Spinach has a lot of nutrients, including antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, etc. For this it is seen as a good vegetable choice for your dinners –thank goodness, since Jeff and I like it so much! It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help lower risk of certain types of cancer.

Spinach has been seen on the blog as an ingredient in pasta, soufflé, pizza, as a side, and in salads. This month, we aim to investigate into other ways to incorporate spinach: as an ingredient in Indian food, in Greek food, as a complement to fish, perhaps, and maybe we’ll revisit soufflé or tart.

What is your favorite use for spinach? Do you like it crunchy, or fully cooked? Do you like it in your baked goods, or as a side to a weeknight dinner?