Gluten-Free Slow Cooking

So a few weeks ago, the company that provides internet and cable to my apartment was doing some repair work; as a result, I did not have internet/cable for a week and was bored out of my mind. To help alleviate my boredom, I took a trip to my local Barnes and Noble bookstore and ended up in the cooking section....bad idea. To borrow/misquote a quote from Stephanie Meyer, author of the Twilight series (if you don't know this by now, please crawl out from under your rock), the cooking section of any bookstore is my own personal brand of heroin. I'm pretty sure I broke my pocketbook with the number of books I walked out with that day, one of which I wanted to share with you guys: Gluten-Free Slow Cooking by Ellen Brown.

I love slow cooking, but I have never had a whole collection of recipes at my fingertips so this book was a great choice for me.  Since I work all day, it is nice to be able to come home and find dinner has practically made itself. Slow cookers also allow me to have healthier meals since I am not just running out to the local fast food joints. Also I find that with a lot of slow cooking books such as Crock-Pot and Betty Crocker, the recipes in the books are all very much the same: American comfort foods ranging from chili to casseroles to pulled pork.  Don't get me wrong, I love American comfort food just as much as every other American--I just don't want to be restricted on my cuisine choice whenever I decide to utilize my slow cooker. This is why I am ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE with Ms. Brown's book.  She has recipes from all over the world: France, Spain, India, the Middle East, just to name a few. I am also a big fan of bread pudding so the "New Orleans Bread Pudding" sealed the deal for me as to whether or not I should buy this book.

So far I have made two recipes (Boeuf Bourguinon and the Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup) from this book and everyone that has tried them loves them. One of the biggest complaints I hear from people who can eat gluten is that the gluten-free food they have tried does not taste very good. I can attest to the fact that these recipes taste just as good as their gluten counterparts since I am NOT gluten-intolerant. I just bought the book since all the slow cooker books for gluten-eaters just had American comfort food recipes. However, it is definitely a handy book to have around when my gluten intolerant friends come over.

Have a wonderful day! Check out my Beauty Giveaway!

Haylee :)

The Book of Burger by Rachael Ray

So a few weeks ago I got my boyfriend a cookbook. We periodically exchange "just because" gifts. I was having a hard time trying to narrow down my gifting choices when I noticed Rachael Ray's  Book of Burger on a display shelf at Barnes and Nobles. The gift was perfect since my boyfriend had just gotten a new grill and was planning a BBQ for the weekend I was planning to visit him.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for the men in your life if they are grilling afficionados or into cooking at all. The book has various burger recipes as well as common (and not so common) side dishes that compliment burgers well such as fries, tots, and jalapeno poppers. I think my favorite part of the book is where Rachael asks other famous chefs for their favorite burger ideas including Bobby Flay.

My favorite recipe so far is the Roasted Jalapeno Poppers. The jalapenos are formed into a boat, the insides are scooped out, and the peppers are stuffed with cheese, more jalapenos, cream cheese, and covered in bread crumbs. They provide the perfect amount of kick for guests who are not shy about spice. I should warn you, however, to use gloves when you scoop out the centers of the jalapeno peppers (or any super spicy pepper). Unfortunately I DID NOT use gloves and had to soak my hands in a bowl of milk for 24 hrs when the burn finally kicked in. I also washed my hands repeatedly in vegetable oil to remove the burn from the peppers. My boyfriend and I agree that we got some extra spicy jalapenos since they were still super spicy after being baked in the oven as well; however, I would recommend that you wear gloves when dealing with any pepper that has lots of capsaicin in it, the chemical that gives hot peppers their "kick".

What is your favorite Rachael Ray recipe (or recipe in general)?