December food

I'm flying from Boston to Detroit, experiencing the phenomenon that is (free) in-flight wi-fi (crazy!) and thought I'd take the time to catch up on some food blogging. Pictures will, unfortunately, have to wait, because hooking up my camera to the computer is almost logistically impossible in this tiny seat. Live blogging is a big enough deal in and of itself. :)

There are several things I've been wanting to post/share for you gluten-free (and gluten-full!) friends out there - so many, in fact, I'm likely not going to remember them all! But here are some food highlights from the last few weeks:

• Potato Leek Soup, compliments of David Lebovitz: this was my first ever attempt at making potato leek soup, and it went fairly well. I mistakenly tried to wing it with the measurements and ended up having a pretty watery soup, but once it cooled and settled, I was able to pour off some of the extra liquid and was left with a subtle but tasty soup! I added some hot chili pepper to give it a kick. I highly recommend this one!
• (Gluten-free) sugar cookies, compliments of Gluten-Free Girl & the Chef. These are delightful cookies, and easily adaptable if you're looking for dairy-free as well. I made one version with butter (that I actually haven't rolled/baked yet - a project I'm saving for The Michigan Christmas Adventure!), and a smaller batch with coconut oil instead of butter. The latter turned out great; I made them for a friend who can't do gluten, dairy, soy, or corn (or much sugar). They're fantastic with a bit of honey drizzled on top!
• Tom Yam Soup (sp?) from a Thai cookbook. I don't have the recipe in front of me, but it's essentially 1 quart of shrimp stock, 1 cup each of thinly-sliced mushrooms and peeled, deveined shrimp, 3 stalks of lemongrass (Google directions on how to cut/slice it), and 2 Tbsps galangal (I had to use ginger and it turned out okay) simmered for about 10-15 minutes and then poured over 2 Tbsps fresh lime juice, 1-2 hot green chili peppers (I used serrano), 1/4 c. chopped cilantro, and two stalks of green onion, thinly sliced. If you can find lime leaves in a South East Asian grocery store, the recipe called for several of those as well, but I just substituted extra lime juice in the broth. It turned out pretty tasty, and was good over steamed jasmine rice. It was also surprisingly quick and easy!
• Fennel, leek, and arugula risotto, fennel, pear, and arugula salad and pistachio sandies (same page), compliments of Cannelle et Vanille, one of my new favorite food blogs. These three dishes/desserts were decadent, yet not at all too heavy. I will certainly make all of them again, especially the pistachio sandies, which were a big hit at work!
• Finally, some holiday goodies: Nanaimo/Vameeno bars (a Christmas tradition of sorts in my family...and, apparently, British Columbia!) and my first-ever, roommate-inspired foray into truffle making. I'll post photos eventually, but this year's flavors included cinnamon balsamic, jasmine, peppermint, straight-up chocolate, orange cardamom, and Mexican (cinnamon cayenne). They were all incredible, if I do say so myself. :)

There you have it - December in the life of Lynnae E. Ruberg. Photos soon!