Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Writing and Recipes

Well, its Wednesday. I am not sure how it got to be Wednesday already but I'm not complaining. I'm pretty sure I'm losing brain cells with this heat and humidity down here in Texas. The hubs says it just makes me crazy, actually crazier. But who wants to be normal anyway? hehe. Speaking of being "un" normal. I have a confession to make. I hate writing. There, I said it. I am not good at, never have been. I know sooo  many bloggers who are AMAZING at writing because it their passion, as it should be! They focus their blog around meaningful and in depth content and then we get the bonus of a recipe, that's impressive. Love it! For me, I love creating fun recipes (mostly Gluten Free), writing up clever workouts, posting pictures of races & travels, recipe creations, and um...... that's about it. But that is my PASSION and that's how I share my passion. So in honor of those amazing writes and recipe lovers, I wanted to give a shout out to some talented writers and the recipes they shared on my "oyster creation" last week.

Eden's Eats- Amazing Writer, Clever, Witty, Creative Chef.
Eden sent me this recipe from glutenfreecooking.com. Sounds good to me and of course CREATIVE.
Bacon, wild mushrooms, white wine and shucked oysters combined with traditional stuffing ingredients make this an out-of-the-ordinary holiday stuffing recipe!

Gluten-Free Oyster and Mushroom Stuffing

 








picture form glutenfree.com
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound (about 12 cups) gluten-free bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
•4 slices gluten-free bacon, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
•1/2 cup diced sweet onion (Walla walla or Vidalia best)
•3 stalks diced celery with leafy tops
•2 tablespoon butter
•1 pound sliced wild mushrooms (chanterelle, porcini, shiitake or portobello)
•1/2 cup dry white wine
•1 cup gluten-free chicken stock
•2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
•1 tablespoon fresh thyme, stems removed
•1/4 cup chopped parsley
•1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•16 ounces shucked oysters, with liquor (juice)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300º F / 148º C
Place bread cubes on cookie sheet and place in preheated oven. Bake until bread is dry but not browned (about 10 minutes). Turn oven up to 350º F / 178º C
Cook chopped bacon in a large skillet until just crispy. Add mushrooms and butter, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the onion and celery, saute until they begin to soften. Add white wine, cook for 1 minute. Add oyster liquor, chicken stock, sage, thyme, parsley and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add gluten-free bread cubes and oysters. Toss well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Transfer to a 13x9-inch buttered baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake for about 45 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the stuffing lightly browns. Serve warm.
Reminder: Always make sure your work surfaces, utensils, pans and tools are free of gluten. Always read product labels. Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice. When in doubt, do not buy or use a product before contacting the manufacturer for verification that the product is free of gluten.

Sophia (Burp and Slurp)- Bold and unique writer, adventurous recipes, just plain AWESOME!
Sophia created
this oyster dish and it made my mouth water.
Kimchi-Oyster Omelet                                                          

4 large fresh oysters
~1/4 cup flour
2 large eggs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup kimchi, sliced
2 oz cream cheese
Dredge each oyster in the flour until well-coated. Lay aside.
Beat together the eggs, season with salt and pepper, then mix in the kimchi. Finally, drop in the oysters.

Heat a pan with some oil at medium heat, then pour in the egg-mixture. Drop in the cream cheese in dots into the omelet. Cook on one side until done, then flip over to cook the other side. And you’re done!
The fresh, succulent oysters, salty and juicy, with the spicy and crunchy kimchi and tangy, creamy cheese, was such a sweet marriage!
It is so good when it’s right off the pan, hot and steaming in your mouth, the plump oysters oozing its briny liquid into your mouth, singing of the sea.

Maggs- (SunSafetyBarbie) Even though Maggs is taking a break from Blogging right now, I still have to give her a shout out. She is a HILARIOUS writer, triathlete extraordinaire, and the master gluten free chef. She sent me this simple canned salmon dish that I actually tried out Monday with my Wakeme Brown Rice noodles.
 

GF pasta before the fixins.
Ingredients:
pasta  (corn, quinoa, or other GF pasta. You can use regular flour pasta as well) 
1 tomato diced
1/2 small onion diced
1 clove garlic
1 cup frozen peas
1 can of salmon

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil, add in the tomatoes and the can of salmon (drained), throw in some frozen peas. Toss with pasta and top with grated parmesan cheese (or goat cheese if you like). This is just about the only thing I will eat peas in. Sometimes I substitute fresh spinach for the frozen peas.
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Well, there you have it. Some amazing writers and recipe creators there! There are SO SO SO many more bloggers out there that are also extremely talented in the writing and recipe department (just look at my sidebar links to name a few), but it would take me forever to name them all. I'll try to post them all throughout the year, deal? haha.
I am thankful to have found such a wonderful network of blogs and will continue to read and share in their PASSIONS!

Now I must go watch Master Chef!

Cheers,
LC

17 comments:

Jessica @ Dairy Free Betty said...

I agree... the food blog world is amazing!! :)

Hope you are doing great, it's been awhile!!

Heather (Where's the Beach) said...

Girl you don't have to be some off the hook writer to have a blog! I love reading your blog just as it is. My husband always says he won't blog b/c he can't write pshaw I say. And sometimes crazy is so much more fun than normal right?

Bre said...

Here is a fun quote for you on being normal, 'Being normal isn't always a virtue,it rather denotes a lack of courage.' See, crazy is a good thing!

I don't think that you need to have sentences & paragraphs to have meaningful and depth to your posts, I think you have meaning and depth and do it in your own way and that inspires people and is just as impressive. Don't change a thing!

Oysters...amazing recipes but I still don't think I'm ready to take on oysters ;)

curlytop said...

Just had to chime in and say that I think your blog is wonderful just the way it is! You don't have to change a thing. :)

-Emily (aka Curly Top)

Anonymous said...

aww thanks for the shout out! i love that stuffing! Whats your favorite GF pasta alternative? i find most of them kinda....icky?

Joanna Sutter (Fitness & Spice) said...

I think blogging is all about writing about your passion...you picked the right platform for sure!

Chloe said...

I'm not a fan of 'writing' either - note the amount of photos I put in my blog :) But as long as I'm writing about what I love - it's not that bad!

Abby said...

I LOVE reading what you write--and not just the recipes! I think that your personality really shines through and that's what keeps me coming back! Don't worry if you don't have some degree in writing. You use it a means to express your PASSION. And you are unabashedly yourself. And I love you for it!!!

Alisa said...

Honestly, unless its Joanne at EAts Well or Katie at Making Food causing me to crack-up, I could do without the long-winded writing and stories. I read blogs for the nitty-gritty - tips to make my life easier and better with recipes, fitness, motivation, etc. So your blog works for me!

Kelsey Ann said...

thats another reason i love ur blog so much. u create some of the most fabulous thought-up creations and recipes and your workout tips and plans are quite amazing! uve got a creative knack for it and i always get excited when a new post is up!!

xoxo

Mo said...

Like you, I'm not a writer. I don't care to write, I'm not good at it, and I feel very self conscious about my writing. However, I love the blogging community, because it's not just about that. We read blogs for all sorts of reasons. (mainly the yummy foods, and updates of life)

PS-would love to see some of the workouts you write up on the blog.

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

oh my - I want to try those noodles!!!!

Unknown said...

i saw sophia's creation and it sounded good the first time... and the second :) and maggs dish sounds great too seeing as i just brought back some salmon from alaska!

The Young, Married Life said...

I do love writing, but my real favorite thing about blogs is that I get to hear from anyone and everyone! Who cares if you're a professional writer?

Unknown said...

I agree Mimi. I love hearing about everyones adeventures, stories, life, etc.

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

oh my - I want to try those noodles!!!!

Abby said...

I LOVE reading what you write--and not just the recipes! I think that your personality really shines through and that's what keeps me coming back! Don't worry if you don't have some degree in writing. You use it a means to express your PASSION. And you are unabashedly yourself. And I love you for it!!!