Spanakopita scones…

Last Saturday, at the Troy Farmers Market, a vendor had the most glorious, large spinach & feta scones. Of course, they weren’t gluten-free, but I still appreciated how incredible they looked and probably tasted. 

Keeping a strict gluten-free diet has improved in the twelve years we’ve needed to be GF, but we still have a long way to go. 

Gluten-free bakeries are popping up everywhere, which is very nice and exciting for us GF folks; the only disappointing thing for me is they focus on too much sweet stuff. 

I am a savory eater, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like chocolate chip cookies or any kind of pie; it means when it comes to a substantial snack, I want and need savory items. 

Sweet items on an empty stomach make me feel sick and nauseous. I am good to go for dessert or as a bedtime snack with a glass of milk. 

Back to those spinach & feta scones, I wanted one; I mean, I really wanted one. I’ve been craving one ever since. I looked in our fridge this morning and discovered a half bag of fresh spinach and feta cheese; see where this is going?

I searched the other day for gluten-free spinach & feta scone recipes. They were all meh. I am a cook by nature and bake out of necessity. I enjoyed baking before going GF but lost the wind in my sails after many fails or so-so results.

I found a recipe for spanakopita scones from Food52. It wasn’t a GF recipe, but it seemed like Bob’s 1:1 GF flour could handle it. It says on the 1:1 packaging that it can be used in recipes replacing regular flour. I know it doesn’t work well for items like bread or pizza dough, but this seemed promising.

Here is the link to the Food52 recipe I used for the spanakopita scones. I’ve tried plenty of Food52’s recipes and they are all fabulous.

I followed the recipe exactly since I wanted to see if the 1:1 flour kept its word. The only change besides the flour was making my own buttermilk with whole milk and lemon juice. I am a cheapskate when buying buttermilk for only a recipe or two.

When I say I followed the recipe exactly, I used the same preparation method and not my time-saving hacks. Guess what? The scones came out better than I imagined. Brilliant! 

Instead of making eight scones like the recipe, I made six mimicking the ones I saw on Saturday at the market. I made a mini one for tasting purposes and was very pleased with the results! 

The scones smell very much like spanakopita; that was a good start. When I tasted the scone, it had a bright lemony start, then a tiny sweetness, then a savoriness from the feta, and it finished with a hint of spice in the back of your throat from the pinch of red pepper flakes added. 

Wowzers! I am so pleased to report that you can use Bob’s 1:1 GF flour as well as regular flour like this fantastic recipe calls for. Woot-woot!

Would I make them again? Heck, yeah! This recipe was true to its name 💯%.

Can you guess what we will be having at the Troy Farmers Market this Saturday? You got it; spanakopita scones! ☺️

Whenever I make baked goods for us to take to the market, I wrap each one tightly with plastic wrap and then place them into a freezer bag. I pop them into the freezer and take out individual ones as needed. 

When working at the farmers market, the only chance we get to eat is before the market, so whatever we eat needs to fill us up for the next 5-6 hours. 

If you are on a diet or watching your carbs, these scones probably aren’t for you. They are rich and filling with loads of flavor and taste. 

For the record, I have no affiliation with Bob’s Red Mill or Food 52. They happen to be what I used this morning. My blog is not a professional food blog with sponsors, ads, or annoying pop-ups. My blog is about me and my life; what I cook, drink and do. 

It’s Wednesday which means belly dance day; along with the success of those scones, it’s proving to be a spectacular day! I hope you have a great day, too, you guys! ❤️

And for my next trick…

Marty’s super-duper drink fountain. It’s all him; I never use it. LOL.

I am a dumb ass and do dumb ass things. Today, I was cleaning the windows and screens that were caked with pollen and made the mistake of also washing the walls in our back room/sunroom.

I didn’t intend to do any major projects today, but while cleaning, I wiped a section of the white walls to see if the dinginess came off. It did, and Marty said, “You can’t leave it like that; you have to blend it in.” Of course, he was right.

The job went quickly as I moved along on a kitchen stool. Then I got to the last section and leaned over to get into the tight corner, and that’s when it happened; the stool tipped over. Did you see that one coming? I didn’t. I am pretty flexible and can maneuver like a monkey, but I never used our new kitchen stools as a step ladder before.

I recreated the accident scene. 😜

If I weren’t as flexible, I probably would have hurt myself a lot worse. I fell in between the old bar fridge pantry and the wall but got up quickly. I know I yelled out a series of pretty impressive curse words. Then I started to giggle.

Giggle after a fall? All I could think of was the character Yukon Cornelius from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. When Yukon goes over the side of a cliff with the Abominable Snowman, the gang thinks they are dead, but he returns with his new pal “Bumbles,” aka Abominable Snowman whom he reformed as a good guy.

When Rudolph told him they thought he was dead, he replied, “Didn’t I ever tell you? Bumbles bounce!” Besides the dolly, Yukon Cornelius is my favorite Ruldoph character.

I don’t know why that was the first thing I thought of besides, “Julz, you are a total dumb ass!” Anyway, instead of falling traditionally, I fell and bounced up and didn’t get wedged in.

I strained my right side from my ribcage to my hip and groin, then down my thigh. It hurt like hell when it happened, but I refused to baby myself and finished cleaning. Then I stretched it out. It still hurts but not as bad as I thought it would.

It’s a crapshoot how my right side will feel tomorrow, but it doesn’t matter anyway. I have a full day scheduled, and pain doesn’t stop or slow me down. After production, I have a date planned with Sam to run errands and go shopping together down in Bennington.

The more I keep moving, the better it is; a couple of Tylenol and I will be good to go. It will not stop me from belly dancing on Wednesday; I’ve danced in lots of excruciating pain over the years. Again, movement helps. A body that stays in motion stays in motion. Isn’t that what they say? The bigger question is who are they? Goodnight!

Pizza & some other drool worthy foods…

Klausie-boy is watching me eat my pizza. Eeewwwww! 😂

We eat dinner at home 90% of the time. I do 90% of the cooking, but lately, Marty has started grilling, making pizzas in the pizza oven, and smoking meats; this is beautiful.

I know some people eat out because they are too busy, traveling for work, or don’t like or want to be bothered to shop and cook. I know some do for special cuisines or styles of cooking. Some, like my mother did, just like to eat out—a lot. 

Marty made us bacon cheeseburgers a few weeks ago that were, first of all, a surprise and, secondly, delicious. I was exhausted and extremely grateful he did this for us. The photo reminds me of how good that burger was.

Gluten-free burger buns usually suck and fall apart, but a toasted Trader Joe’s hamburger bun is the best we have found by far and not crazy expensive like other brands.

The burgers were so good because it wasn’t only the good ingredients he used but the time and care he put into those burgers. 

There was also the fact that since I didn’t cook them, they tasted even better, another reason why people eat out finally registered with me.

This year Marty has taken the reins of using the smoker for meats which is fine with me; I failed at it last summer. Again, the time, effort, and care make everything taste better.

I’ve made some great food lately, but nothing to write home or blog about, but I thought I would share them as a group with you.

There are so many ethnic and other foods that aren’t available here or good ones. Following a strict gluten-free diet puts the kibosh on many food choices and destinations as well. 

So, what else can we do but make it ourselves? There is a lot of good food an hour in any direction from where we live, but with gas prices the way they are, this is even more important for us to eat at home.

Last night’s dinner was a collaboration of both of us making dinner. I made a batch of my gluten-free pizza dough on Thursday for Friday night, but we were too tired and had frozen french fries and chicken tenders instead. I did make a buffalo bleu dipping sauce that was tasty. 

Frozen food is perfect for dinner some nights and good!

We experimented and made three different kinds of individual mini pizzas; cheese, pepperoni, and margarita. We only use hand-crushed canned San Marzano tomatoes as the sauce. The flavor of the tomatoes is pure and simple, unlike any jazzed-up pizza sauces. 

I stretched the dough and topped the pies while Marty slid the pizzas into the pizza oven for just a couple of minutes and pulled them out. The little pizza oven we have gets really hot like an authentic Neapolitan pizza oven. 

In case you didn’t know, to be called authentic Neapolitan pizza you must top the dough with only hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. It has to be cooked in 90 seconds or less.

We have been working on perfecting our gluten-free pizzas for a few years and are getting closer and closer to perfection. 

Last night’s pizzas had the same pull and chew as traditional pizza dough and produced actual pizza dough bubbles; my favorite part of pizza slices! We haven’t achieved that yet, so woot-woot!

I think the long, slow, and cold rise in the refrigerator for over 48 hours produced the chew, pull, proper texture, and bubbles. The pizza was delicious but still not perfect.

Can you see why it took me seven years to develop our spätzle recipe? When I have something exact in my mind, I’ll keep going until it’s right and what I want. 

That’s it from here. It’s Sunday, and I am relaxing on my day off. I made a batch of meatloaf meatballs on Thursday when I had a ton of energy. Holy shit, I am so happy I did. 

I was expecting a gloomy, rainy day (not that I am complaining), so I planned on mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus to go with the meatloaf meatballs. 

I already told Sam what was on the menu, so there is no changing it to something lighter now. He looks forward to food as much as I do, so I won’t disappoint him since he is working a 12-hour overnight shift in the ER tonight. 

Have a great rest of your Sunday, guys! The weather looks like it’s going to be warmer again next week in the mid-80s, which we don’t mind. Cannonball! 🙂

Belly dance boot camp…

My skirt and hip shawl I wore to practice in after teaching last night.

I love teaching *ATS® belly dance every week, but last night’s class was even more fun and inspiring. Nothing springs everyone back into performance mode as a real gig on the calendar for late August. We haven’t performed in public since October 2019.

Our dance troupe could keep dancing during the pandemic with the help of videos I made and Kathleen and Emily holding zoom classes. 

We all came back to dancing in person last April. It was interesting that everyone improved over the pandemic despite not having classes the traditional way. I took 6 months off from dancing and didn’t even listen to belly dance music. I came back fresh and stronger than ever like everyone else.

Since the beginning of this year, classes have been energized with the addition of our three new students. Classes went back to beginners fundamentals and basics. We were all amazed at how fast the three picked it up. I love watching them get better and better each week and having fun, something vital to me. 

After we received our invitation via email for a performance opportunity last week,  it got me in full-on drill sergeant mode. While everyone was has been at classes and dancing every week there was a lot to do to get ready for a real public gig. 

Maria and Trish have minimal performance experience but are super excited and were the first to say they were in. Callie, who has performance experience, and I will round out our quad for the gig. As soon as everything is finalized I will post more about the gig if anyone local would like to attend. It’s always nice having familiar faces and encouragement in the audience.

Last night, we reviewed what we needed to work on and my expectations. Everyone in the class, not just the ones doing the gig, got as excited as I did and were happy to drill their asses off.

They want to correct their technique and go over what moves they aren’t comfortable with. They also want to practice leading starting and stopping songs. I encouraged Trish and Maria to practice zilling at home, so it’s one less thing to worry about at class and the gig.

Right now, I am concentrating on everyone’s arms and posture. No more sloppy or limp arms; I am preaching about how proper posture is even more essential to help all the moves look better.

This was a great place to start. Over the next few weeks, we will also be working on stage presence and group dynamics. We are an ATS® group improv belly dance group that is only as good as the energy the dancers put out to the audience.

So what exactly is stage presence? It is not being dressed up in costuming and makeup looking good. It’s the way you hold your head, have a smile, or at least a pleasant look on your face.

Dancers should act professionally at a gig since you are “on” at an event, even if you aren’t on stage. Showing up on time and ready to go is a must and reduces stress before the gig. It sucks when it doesn’t happen and is hard to let go of before going on stage. This may be my biggest pet peeve of all when performing.

The most significant part of stage presence is being confident. Walking on stage or at a gig with a confident air about you automatically makes people think you know what you are doing. It’s “fake it til you make it” in the beginning, and that’s ok. Hell, I did it for the first year. It’s doing everything with a purpose, even if you fuck up. “I meant to do that”kind of attitude goes a long way.

Group dynamics is when a group of dancers is having fun dancing together. It’s getting into each other’s energy zone and feeling what they will do next. It’s encouraging each other with smiles, little “yips” and zaghareets when they do something extraordinary. Ramping up the energy gets the audience excited that something fun is happening.

A favorite meme of mine sorry it’s blurry.

So what in the hell is a zaghareet anyway? Here is an excellent description I found on the website Kesavah Bellydance.

A Zaghareet (also known as an ululation) is a loud trilling that sounds something like “loo loo loo loo loo….” and often ends with an “eeeeeeeee” sound. It’s a combination of a high pitched, quite loud, “shriek” for want of a better word, as well as the “loo loo loo loo” trilling of the tongue layered on top.

The sound is made in celebration at weddings, births, and other auspicious events. Women usually cover their mouths while zaghareeting – some say this prevents evil spirits from entering; others say it’s to be polite and hide your open mouth.

It is an expression of joy, excitement, encouragement in the arab culture. It’s totally welcome to do when another dancer is on stage, also in a Zaffa (wedding parade in front of the bride and groom). It lends an air of excitement and charges the room/dance with a lively electric current.

This is why we cover our mouths when zaghareeting, no one wants to see your tongue flapping around. 😂

So last night was like someone lit a match under everyone’s ass. The class had fun and is genuinely excited to work hard on their technique and get better by “dancing” together, not just stringing together a series of dance moves and calling it dancing. There is a vast difference. 

One of the most complex parts of ATS® group improv dancing is there isn’t any choreography to follow, so everyone is dancing in the moment. We can dance to the same song ten times in a row, and it will never be the same. It’s truly organic and beautiful. People can’t believe it isn’t choreographed; we have heard that by hundreds of people over the last 18 years.

How ATS® group improv dance works, each dancer takes turns leading the group with small cues or gestures. Everyone hears and feels music differently, making it fun and ever-changing. Since things are changing all the time you have to pay attention.

One of the hardest parts about learning to lead is getting out of your head and letting the dance moves come from within and not overthink them. This is when things go wrong and look forced. That smile or pleasant look on their faces goes away, and they look like they are concentrating too hard.

Dancing from within takes a long time; it took me a couple of years not dreading taking the lead at gigs and enjoying it, plus feeling confident about it.

Selfie in the parking lot of the dance space. I just did a cut and color to my hair and was raring to go!

Kathleen and I laughed yesterday during our practice time about how whenever we step into the lead, neither of us knows what we will do ourselves until it happens. We are as surprised by what moves come out as much as the other dancers. 

A blurry meme, but it’s my favorite!

To get people to feel comfortable and not afraid of taking the lead, we start our new students right away by learning how to step in and out of the lead position. Once they feel comfortable with that, they can lead a move or two.

The new dancers are always amazed that everyone knows what they are trying to do and can follow along. I don’t push anyone past their comfort zone because, after all, dance is supposed to be fun and not stressful. Everyone moves at their own pace.

I haven’t been this excited about dance in a very long time. I have an upbeat and enthusiastic teaching style, but now it’s on complete overdrive. 

Driving home at 8 pm on Wednesday nights after three hours of teaching classes and practicing with Kathleen, I am exhausted but always have a massive smile on my face because I am so proud of how my students danced, how far they have come, and how much fun we had.

I haven’t written about belly dance for some time, but I think I will be much more in the future! Yip! 😉

*ATS® stands for American Tribal Style Bellydance

Summer vs outdoor kitchens…

Is there a difference between summer and outdoor kitchens? The answer is yes. 

Summer kitchens originated in our country back in the early 1800s. Wealthy plantation owners built summer kitchens away from the main house on their property. The structures were usually made of timber, rocks, and bricks.

Its purpose was to keep slaves and servants away from the main house while having a place to cook and prepare large meals for everyone on the plantation.

Another practical reason for the owners to have summer kitchens was to keep smoke, and strong cooking smells out of their homes and keep the homes cooler in the hot months.

For the similar practical reasons, summer kitchens became popular in New England and New York. Outdoor kitchens weren’t just for wealthy plantation owners anymore; regular working-class people built summer kitchens on their properties. 

Settlers that headed west brought the idea of summer kitchens along with them. They became prevalent in the midwest.

Summer kitchens were practical, especially when it came to harvest time. They were cooler and roomier to fit more people than the small kitchens in their homes.

The proverbial phrase many hands make light work made it possible for groups of women to work together processing and to can food for the winter months ahead.

With the introduction of modern ovens and air conditioning, summer kitchens were no longer desired and petered out; however, many people in the mid-west still have and use theirs. 

A modern summer kitchen.

As far as real estate is concerned, the remains of old and historic rock or brick summer kitchens are a valuable asset to properties. They are sometimes made into sheds, workshops, or yoga studios.

After summer kitchens became a thing of the past and after World War 2 ended, the company Weber introduced their first home grill in the early 1950s. The grill was promoted as “Backyard fun” for the family. Beer, drink, food and snack manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon with this promotional idea to be part of the backyard fun. 

Most families had grilling and picnic areas in their backyards but not nothing compared to an outdoor or summer kitchen. We know the “man of the house” did the grilling while the woman did everything else for a cookout. Why did they think someone who had no experience or knowledge of cooking regularly like the woman of the house did was in charge of grilling the main part of the meal?

See how the woman is doing everything else? 😜

To back this up, most of the cookouts I went to as a kid had black hotdogs, burgers as dry as hockey pucks, and chicken either burned beyond recognition or raw in the middle. I rest my case!

For the same reason, I will never understand why the man of the house carved the Thanksgiving turkey? Was it done out of honor? Was it too dangerous for a woman to use a carving knife? Was she too intimated or ladylike? 🤔

Back to the topic on hand, I believe in giving credit where credit is due. The Food Network is what sparked America’s love of home cooking and grilling in the mid 1980s. It all started with Emeril Lagasse’s show How to Boil Water. Viewers were mesmerized by watching celebrity chefs cooking and grilling outdoors; of course, they wanted to do the same thing.

This type of cooking was making real food for real people and educating them simultaneously. Viewers didn’t feel intimated like they did by French cooking programs on television and could prepare the dishes they learned any night of the week. I believe it was the birth of the modern outdoor kitchen craze. The rest is history.

Ok, so what is an outdoor kitchen? A place to serve drinks & cocktails, make pizzas, grill, and entertain friends and family when the weather is nice. 

Modern outdoor kitchens have sinks and sometimes dishwashers. Most of them have high-end grills and small appliances such as refrigerators, kegerators, and wine fridges. Many have authentic pizza ovens brought over from Italy.

These gorgeous, fully covered outdoor kitchens can also have fireplaces, large flat-screen TVs, and various sectional seating areas. It is truly a living and entertaining extension of someone’s home.

We had a lot to consider when we were in the planning and designing stages of our outdoor kitchen back in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.

While I love those incredible outdoor kitchens, we knew that wasn’t us or suitable for our property. The cost was another issue. 

We knew we wanted an outdoor kitchen for cooking, grilling, frying, smoking meats, and making pizzas with a large prep area. 

It turns out our once referred to as our “outdoor kitchen” is more of a summer kitchen. It is set up for functionality and cookery, not for entertainment or show. This was not a priority for us since we rarely entertain or have company.

We use our summer kitchen as often as possible. We have pretty shitty weather here in VT a lot of the time, so we love spending as much time outdoors as possible.

Our summer kitchen is an uncovered, open-air kitchen with all commercial equipment. It is practical for me to cook, fry, and grill outdoors to keep the heat, smoke, and strong smells out of the house, just like back in the old days.

Marty was able to find all of our outdoor commercial equipment and work tables on Facebook Marketplace for ridiculously low prices. 

There is a two-burner stove, a flat top grill, and an infrared grill. We have a small commercial fryer and a small, portable pizza oven we use often. We made sure to have lots of prep space so more than one person could be working in the kitchen at the same time.

We still use the summer kitchen for grilling in the winter months even though the other equipment is covered up. I have grilled in torrential downpours and snow storms wearing snow boots since the snow was up to my knees. 

Last night, I used the summer kitchen to make a meal I usually cook indoors in cast iron pans. It made total sense to use the grill as a stove and cook dinner outside on a beautiful evening. 

Our summer kitchen isn’t fancy-schmancy like outdoor kitchens, but it’s a well-designed, hip, and functional space to make some kick-ass food in the great outdoors. 

Friday front porch supper…

Chicken Marsala with Rice Pilaf & Green Beans.

Friday nights are our favorite night of the week to sit on our front porch and watch all the campers, tourists, and the weekend hustle and bustle go by.

I hurried today to be done with work and my chores by 5 pm or also known as happy hour.

I went straight from the production kitchen to making deliveries to three of our local wholesale customers. I had to stop to get a few groceries for the weekend.

As soon as I walked into the crowded store I thought, ”Kill me now and put me out of misery!” Ugh! I got what I needed, minus a few items the store was out of and got the hell out of there asap.

Not that I am complaining one bit, but the forecasted rainy day turned out to be glorious! I got sidetracked from my chores to take a swim then got cracking.

I wanted to make something easy to eat on the porch. So instead of leaving the chicken breasts whole, I cut them into strips for chicken marsala. No knives necessary. Boom!

Some rice pilaf and fresh green beans made for a fine Friday night porch supper.

It’s going to be an early night; we are up before the ass-crack of dawn tomorrow at 4:30 am to get ready for our farmers market in Troy, NY.

I just looked at the time and it is 8:45 pm and is still daylight! I wait all year for this.

Goodnight everyone I’ll catch up with you soon. 😴

A perfect bite…

What makes a perfect bite? Everyone has their ideas of what a perfect bite of food is. Some people prefer sweet bites, and others like me choose savory ones.

A perfect bite is when the taste is in perfect balance. Sweet, salty, soft, crunchy, sour, bitter, acidy, and umami are all in perfect harmony.

I’ve written about umami before and how it is considered the fifth sense of taste. It is what brings a dish over the finish line of deliciousness.

My perfect bite was a simple taco. A homemade corn tortilla with smoked brisket, creamy coleslaw, crunchy quick-pickled red onions, cilantro, and thinly sliced jalapeño peppers. 

The outdoor kitchen is open! I love my flat-top grill! ❤️

The brisket was the soft, unctuous umami, and the creamy coleslaw was crunchy, which also cooled down the jalapeño pepper. The quick-pickled red onion was another crunch element, along with the acid needed to cut through the fatty richness of the brisket. 

The cilantro? It is put on a dish for a purpose and not a garnish. I use cilantro in all my Thai, Indian and Mexican cooking. Some people say it tastes like soap; ok, I get it; but it enhances a dish with brightness and a unique flavor for the rest of us.

I make, taste, and eat a lot of food, so it should be applauded when a perfect bite stands out! Bravo!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend! Cheers!

Très magnifique…

I would consider myself a francophile. I love French cooking. I also love French decor items, cookware, china, and furniture. My favorite place in the world and on my short bucket list of places to visit is Paris.

One of my good friends is moving back to France after living there on and off again for 40 years. She packed up some things to be shipped over and got rid of the rest of her stuff. She was starting over. Many of the pieces of furniture came from France and were shipped over to the US many years ago.

By a twist of fate, I was lucky enough to have two pieces of French antique bedroom furniture from her childhood. The pieces are petit but so is our bedroom.

A couple of years ago, when we painted and redecorated our bedroom, we sold our enormous furniture and picked up two small dressers secondhand. I have found that I missed all that storage in our bedroom and could never find anything in my dark closet.

Now, I have a “new” French armoire and a make-up vanity. I’ve wanted a vanity like this for decades! The two pieces fit our bedroom perfectly and look like they belong there, as if they’ve been there all along.

I love the stool to the vanity and it’s so comfy!

I also adopted my friend’s large rosemary plant she’s had for years, taking it in during the winter and putting it outside in the summer. She was going to leave it behind but asked if I wanted it. Of course, I would take it!

Fingers crossed I don’t kill her plant.

The plant is so aromatic you can smell it as you walk by it, and I cook a lot with rosemary. I hope to keep it alive and happy; I will try my best after asking her how to care for it.

Our bedroom is my little piece of France right here in Vermont. It feels like a small apartment bedroom in Paris. I love it! I am glad Marty likes it, too, even though it is on the feminine side. Nothing else in our house is girlie or frilly, but our bedroom is the one exception.

My friend purchased a new home in France with plenty of room for guests. We have a standing invitation anytime we can get to France. Plus, I could have a tour guide show me the ropes in Paris and not be disappointed by tourist traps.

Even though I didn’t see my friend often, catching up when we picked up my new Parisian furniture was a sweet goodbye. I’ll miss her, but I know France is where her heart is.

Vive la France! 🇫🇷

Memorial Day…

It’s another gorgeous day here in Vermont on Memorial Day. We have been sitting on the front porch having coffee, enjoying the sunshine and watching the world go by. I should say flying by because people drive 20 mph over the speed limit all the time.

It just doesn’t feel right posting about food or any other stupid shit about my life today.

I am not ”that guy” that posts on my Facebook wall a ”Happy whatever the fuck” to all my Facebook friends, although I have to say its good to see the people who only post on holidays are still alive and well.

Today isn’t about food, drinks, bbq, parties, the kick-off to summer, or the official “it’s ok to wear white pants now” its about honoring and remembering the brave men and women who gave their lives for us.

These are the men and women who give us the freedom to celebrate anyway we wish today or any day including wearing white pants and linen all year.

With all my heart and sincerity, thank you. 🇺🇸

Bananas for oranges…

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved orange-flavored things to eat and smell. Last year, I wrote about an Italian Ice stand in Elizabeth, NJ my father used to take me. An older Italian woman made and sold both lemon and orange Italian Ice. Here is the link to that blog post about Catherine and a photo of her Italian Ice shack.

The Italian ice stand was located in the Italian section of Elizabeth called Peterstown, where both my parents grew up. People stood in line for blocks to get some Italian ice on a hot summer night. I always picked orange, and my dad always picked lemon.

I loved that there were pits in the ice which collected at the bottom of the white paper cup, which I spit one by one seeing how far they would go. My mother would have never allowed this kind of behavior; hell, I got slapped and yelled at for blowing bubbles in my chocolate milk whenever we ate at a diner, the only place I drank chocolate milk with a straw.

I still like to blow bubbles in my chocolate milk, and it has never bubbled over. As an adult I can’t understand the big deal; neither of my boys even wanted to blow bubbles in their milk so I never got to “let” them do it.

Last week, at our farmers market in Troy, NY, I sampled a tiny bit of orangecello from a new vendor two spots down from us. I am a big fan of limoncello and used to make it often; in fact, I have a bottle in the bar fridge right now. But the orangecello? Holy moly, it was like having that Italian ice again, but even better because it has booze in it!

I didn’t even ask how much it was and bought a bottle. I, the frugal cook and shopper, was ready to pay whatever the cost. It was a little high, but this is strictly for sipping straight up and respecting the liquor.

Here is the weird part, to me anyway, the Italian ice stand in Elizabeth was owned and operated by the Di Cosmo family. The orangecello is made by a chef from Villa di Como in Italy along with a variety of sauces and oils.

Yesterday, we were on the road making deliveries, our first stop was in Clifton Park, NY. We went to 518 Donuts, a shop that sells gluten-free fried chicken and gluten-free donuts. The business owners have so much passion and are super friendly.

They have committed to the seriousness and safety making sure there is no cross-contamination occurring between their regular high-end donuts and the gluten-free ones. High-end, meaning store made with kick-ass toppings and flavors. If I could have had a regular donut I would have had a hard time choosing between the maple bacon, chocolate-covered strawberry, campfire, Samoas, or french toast.

For gluten-free local readers, all the fried chicken is boneless and gluten-free so there isn’t any confusion about what goes into the fryer. The chicken is prepared Korean style meaning they fry it twice. It’s crunchy af and not greasy.

They also have chicken fried dough with this amazing dipping sauce which is off the fucking hook. Their potato crisps and hashbrowns are also gluten-free. It’s worth the trip over to Clifton Park, just be prepared it’s a little pricey but worth every penny! They are in the midst of opening a second location in Troy, NY, how psyched are we?

Marty had a gluten-free breakfast sandwich, and he said it was the best one he has had for years since we have been gluten-free. I chose a creamsicle donut; more orange! It tasted exactly like a creamsicle and as good as any regular donut. It was pure decadence. Yum! Whenever I went to an ice cream truck as a kid, I always chose creamsicle popsicles.

The last tale of the orange happened just a little later on. We stopped at Crossgates mall looking for some sandals for me. We were both thirsty so Marty suggested getting an Orange Julius. Orange Julius is one of our favorite drinks dating way back to the 80s at a mall in NJ.

If you aren’t familiar with Orange Julius it’s a juice and smoothie shop. I didn’t remember them having so many different smoothies, but then again I never look at the menu because I know exactly what I am ordering.

With my Jersey accent, I say “are-ange” not “or-ange” which I argue about with Sam often when he corrects me. Shut up kid, I say it correctly because of this joke I learned when I was around 6 years old. This is how it goes:

Knock knock. Who’s there? Apple. Apple who?
Knock knock. Who’s there? Apple. Apple who?
Knock knock. Who’s there? Orange. Orange who?
“Are-ange” you glad I didn’t say apple? 😜

Happy Friday! Enjoy your holiday weekend! We are off to the farmer’s market tomorrow. We are making different kinds of grilled pizzas with drinks and a campfire with our neighbors on Sunday night. Hopefully, we can take off on Monday. We have the shortest but cutest Memorial Day parade here in Arlington that we look forward to every year.

I just pulled some Cheddar, Chive, and Maple Bacon Scones out of the oven for breakfast tomorrow morning. I may have to try one of the little ones just to make sure they are tasty. BTW…they are! Here is the recipe link I used. As a side note, I add maple syrup to the heavy cream that is painted on the scones before they go into the oven.

*** This is a gluten-free recipe.