Replacing flour is a tough game! I’ve been on a low-carb and gluten-free diet since 2015, and have tried countless recipes which try to imitate the texture of flour and gluten using nut and coconut flours, along with rice flours and other substitutes. While I admire these attempts, most of these recipes simply remind me what I’m missing, highlighting with each bite the gap between these imitations and the real thing! Meanwhile, the few gluten-free innovations which really do impress on taste and texture (Mod Pizza’s cauliflower crust I’m talking to you) do so with so many carbs (87 grams!) that they can’t be a regular part of my diet.

So my advice is to stop trying to recreate all-purpose flour centric recipes, and instead bake something naturally suited to these ingredients. With the browned butter flavors and the light shortbread-style crunch you truly won’t feel like you’re missing out at all, compared to the real deal. All this recipe takes is a little planning to allow time for the nuts to roast and cool, for browned butter to cool, and for the finished cookies to cool at the end. Good things come to low-carb bakers who wait!

Besides the browned butter, the other secret ingredient is PureCane TM sweetener, a natural sugar-free sweetener which tastes remarkably identical to white and brown sugar, made from fermented sugar cane.

I’ve worked to perfect this recipe over the last year along with my family, and would love to hear your feedback, both from the low-carb and gluten-free crowd, and anyone else as well.

There’s an exciting way to mix up your campfire routine, and we at Spinning Cook are amazed how few people know about it, and how wild they feel about it after their first experience. 

A finished Womp ‘Em with cherry pie filling.

The concept of cooking biscuits over the campfire has been around for ages, whether in a pan, using a reflective oven, or twisted around a skewer or stick. Womp ‘Ems take this to the next level by evenly toasting a biscuit which is shaped around a 1-1/4 inch dowel, then adding sweet or savory fillings. The sticks are quite easy to make at home, with instructions below! Womp ‘Ems are especially fun at multi-family camping trips, and may become a summer tradition as they certainly have for us.

To make Womp ‘Ems you’ll need a fire, a stick, uncooked biscuit dough, and fillings of your choice.

Start by placing a biscuit on the wide dowel end of the stick.

Squeeze (don’t stretch) the biscuit to cover much of the wide dowel, at an even thickness.

1. Cut the wide dowel into 6-inch sections. Sand each piece lightly to remove any sharp edges or rough spots, with the coarse 60-grit paper and then the 100-grit. 
2. Carefully drill into one end of each section of wide dowel, drilling to a depth of 1-1/2 inches. Add a pea-sized amount of wood glue, and insert the 3/8 inch dowel, turning to cover the surface and wiping off any excess. Now wipe the stick clean with a damp cloth to remove any sawdust, and allow the glue to dry fully.
3. Before first use, treat the wide dowel end with some cooking spray (Pam) or vegetable oil on a paper towel. 

Have you tried Womp ‘Ems, and why do you think they’re so popular? Have a great summer, everyone!

With so many losses and great unknowns, these characters center themselves around the simple joys of food and friends. Are we remembering to do that?

Last week with the country navigating through the chaos of an unexpected election result, my wife and I did the rational thing: escaped with the kids to a waterpark, on a trip which was planned months ago but in retrospect was very well-timed. With my phone unplugged and twitter disconnected…we laughed, we splashed, we joked, we sang, we smiled and relished a deep, pure, unspoilable family joy. Joy had not been the prevailing emotion before that point.

I find it easy to complicate, overthink, and obsess on dynamics over which I have no control. Tandy Miller does not have this problem, as he’s quite skilled at keeping things basic and fun. While this show is not appropriate for children, the frozen pizza song certainly is. My kids have learned it and they know the story line and what that song represents: in any circumstance, be ready to find your frozen pizza moment, and protect the joy that it gives you.

Lou Malnati’s pizza in Portland!

In related news, 24 frozen deep dish pizzas just arrived from Chicago as part of a mega-order I placed to celebrate the Cubs winning the World Series. As much as I’d like to eat them all, they are mostly for friends wishing to savor this moment, enjoy that great city and its pie, and minimize shipping costs through sharing a large order. Shocking election results can’t change the Cubs’ championship, nor can it change the narrow loss by my other-hometown Cleveland Indians in one of the most epic World Series finishes in history. Life is complicated…being from both cities I enjoyed AMAZING baseball and am just going to focus on the pizza at this point, and savor the memories. As a family I hope we keep singing that goofy song for years, channeling Will Forte as an odd sort of spiritual guide.

Gooey cheese, flaky crust, delicious tomatoes…and the Cubs have won the World Series. I must be dreaming.

The next four years will unfortunately highlight our divisions as a nation. Food (even frozen pizza) can be an amazing common ground, a common denominator which can be intensely shared, whether enjoying foods we’ve jointly loved for years, or learning new cuisines and cultures. Our friends LOVED cooking up their Lou Malnati’s pizzas, and it was a joy to hear how much it meant to them. I hope you’ll not only engage in self-care but share experiences with others, looking into people’s eyes not just at headlines and demographics. Get with your tribe, engage with others who aren’t in your usual circle, indulge a little, and throw in a little poorly-pitched group singing. We’ll all chew through this together.

NOTE: I haven’t posted in a while, and am considering getting back into a rhythm. If you’d like to see more posts, recipes, cooking demo’s, etc, please let me know and I may reach out to get more focused on what would be of most interest.

Like many other bloggers I’ve considered refreshing early recipes with my improved skills and knowledge. Food blogging involves many varied activities which professional media outlets and studios typically handle as a team of specialists. So very few of us bloggers start this journey as all-around pros. Confession: When I published my very first recipe on the blog, I was so accustomed to the newspaper photographing recipes for me, that I almost forgot the photo entirely. After tasting versions to perfect the instructions, I had almost no finished food left to photograph. Fail.

I bought these slanted serving cups awhile back, not quite knowing what I’d serve in them. Perfect for popcorn!

So I’ve taken these new photos which seem to me like a vast improvement over the original, do you agree? Should I leave the original post as-is, or insert these there instead? I’m leaning towards the latter.

It’s hard to make brown butter visually pop out of a popcorn photo, especially with brown bits of the kernels creating a sort of blended camouflage. This tear-shaped dish gave me a chance to let the butter run away a little ways on its own. Pinterest fans: Portrait images pin the best – use this one!

For those of you who tuned in for the show or watched it afterwards, thanks for being a part of this. Thanks to AM Northwest for having me on, and to Mr. Formal, a great long-running local business who provided my promo tuxedo rental for the show so I could celebrate Oscars season in red-carpet style. Question: what other recipes (mine or otherwise) do you think would make for good TV in the future?

The Sriracha Aioli lets your guests add as much spice as they like, and comes together quickly with three simple ingredients.

With very few ingredients and steps, this recipe is great for any fan whether you are tailgating (on the grill) or in your home kitchen.

Go ‘hawks!! And if the game seems a little closer than it needs to be in the 4^th quarter, just take my advice:

KEEP

CALM

AND

MARSHAWN

Crushing the larger bits of a Miso soup mix creates a complex and flavorful rub from just one ingredient!

This is a deliberate deception and couldn’t be more wrong. According to the scientific facts, here are…

5 Important Scientific Reasons Why GMO Foods Should Be Labeled

1. Restrictions on Scientific Discovery & Funding

“In my 30 years as a public scientist, there’s been a dramatic erosion of public funding. And that makes science more dependent on private funding”. – Elson Shields (Entomologist/Scientist at Cornell University)

Objective scientific research is being extremely inhibited by legal provisions which lead to these foods being offered for sale without independent scientific testing. The testing of GMO foods is generally only permitted after the foods are fully approved for sale to consumers. So whatever knowledge we have about their safety is generally coming directly from the seed producers themselves, who have a clear conflict of interest in terms of seeking the truth about the real safety of their products for human consumption. While independent study at universities is increasingly permitted by manufacturers, their influence on our schools is powerful and growing. And their influence on government agencies has been widely chronicled; the data shows that the US FDA and USDA have approved 25 GMO varieties and counting, and I have been unable to find record of a single GMO food they have rejected.

2. Negative Impacts on Biodiversity Caused by GMOs

“Genetic diversity and farmers’ knowledge are the basis of farming; but as corporate seed and chemicals increasingly replace farmers’ own ingenuity, they are now seen as mere customers. What was once agriculture is increasingly becoming agribusiness ”. – Teresa Anderson (Gaia Foundation’s International Advocacy co-ordinator)

The need for genetic diversity in our ecosystem is well-established. Genetically-engineered crops are reducing overall biodiversity in at least three different ways:

• By narrowing the diversity in crop lines by requiring each year’s seed to be provided by the seed-producing corporation, instead of allowing farmers to save and replant seeds;
• By resisting resisting and allowing heavy and repeated herbicide applications, leaving fields generally clean other than the herbicide-resistant crops (this creates a homogeneous ecosystem which is less supportive of species such as the Monarch Butterfly which has seen drastic population declines and relies on the dramatically declining milkweed plant to support its eggs and caterpillars); and/or
• By directing extensive use of chemicals which kill microorganisms in the plants’ environments (Glyphosate a.k.a. RoundUp (R) was originally patented as a chelator not an herbicide, which means it binds and restricts free minerals thus interfering with many different lifeforms not just plants; as a result many beneficial bacteria are susceptible to it).

3. Increased Environmental Exposure to Harmful Chemicals in Our Communities

“EWG has determined that 487 elementary schools across America are within 200 feet of a corn or soybean field. This finding is alarming because young children are especially vulnerable to the toxic herbicide 2,4-D in Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist DuoTM, a weed killer mixture that is awaiting governmental approval for widespread use on new varieties of genetically engineered corn and soybeans ”. – Soren Rundquist (Landscape and Remote Sensing Analyst at Environmental Work Group/EWG)

Our health is impacted not just by the food we eat but by farming practices in our communities. The Environmental Working Group published research stating that over 480 elementary schools are within 200 feet of corn and soybean fields. This is important because Dow Chemical states that its new herbicide mixture Enlist Duo TM can travel 200 feet beyond fields even when applied properly.

4. Growing Chemical Toxicity Causing Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

“Resistant weeds have become a major problem for many farmers reliant on GE crops, and are now driving up the volume of herbicide needed each year by about 25 percent.” – Dr. Charles Benbrook (PhD)

The experiment of herbicide-resistant GMOs has proven to also create herbicide-resistant weeds, which in turn require stronger herbicides carrying additional uncertainty for our health. I spoke with retired senior EPA scientist Ray Seidler who explained that it used to be typical for just 2-3 chemical applications to be needed to get a crop to market, and now it is not uncommon to require 10-12 applications. The health effects of these chemicals are well known and have been extensively studied. The science basically supports minimizing our exposure both through the food we ingest and the farming practices around us. This makes the above statement about 487 elementary schools potentially being exposed to harmful chemicals even more concerning.

5. Enabling Study of Personal Hypotheses

Families who are experiencing health issues often need to form and test different hypotheses to find the root cause of health issues. To consider all options, a variety of elimination diets may be necessary, including removing GMO foods to observe the health effects of this change. The FDA reviews new GMO foods looking for possible allergens, but as explained in this National Geographic article, the process of altering DNA is very capable of introducing new allergens, which are impossible to fully predict, understand, and test.

Will You Support Mandatory Labeling of Genetically-Engineered Foods?

For those of us (the majority) who want to know which foods are made with genetically-modified organisms, there are valid scientific reasons why GMO foods are not the same as conventional foods, and why we have a right to know which foods these are. Let’s not throw out the window the millennia of agricultural and scientific study, in our haste to adopt new organisms and farming practices which, relative to traditional agriculture, are largely unproven.

I urge voters to support labeling of genetically modified foods, and to prove that no amount of advertising funds can sway an educated public from the information we demand for our health and the health of our planet.

Knowledge is Power: Corporations Against GMO Labeling

Having the ability to know exactly what is in our food and how it is grown, gives us the power to choose healthier/safer food for our families to consume. It also gives us the ability as parents to instill better eating habits in our kids.

To me, some extremely compelling data on this issue are the records of campaign donations, documented here by the Oregonian in a map format together with line-item detail. At the time of publishing this post, corporations opposed to Oregon’s Measure 92 have donated over 18 million dollars to their campaign (a state record), while individuals supporting that same side have contributed just $785, which is 0.0% of the total.

I strongly support Oregon Measure 92, which would give us the right to know which foods contain genetically-engineered ingredients.

Thank you for reading, and for being a thoughtful science-minded voter. I welcome your comments.

Building Better Futures… One Marshmallow at a Time!

Now you might have already heard of the ‘marshmallow experiment‘or a variation of it, which examines a child’s ability to hold out to receive an increased reward. If you don’t already know, the study basically consisted of a rather simple experiment which clearly displayed a child’s ability (or inability) at a young age to recognize the importance of delayed gratification. Each child was presented with a marshmallow and then told if they did not eat that marshmallow while the researcher was away, then they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow when the researcher returned. However, the flipside is if the child decided to go ahead and eat the first marshmallow before the researcher came back, then the child would not get that second marshmallow…

Teaching Important Life Lessons with Marshmallows!

I couldn’t help but think of all the many areas of our lives impacted by our own ability to delay immediate gratification, especially when other options are on the table. And how our studies, work, relationships, health and overall life in general can be affected… Well, Walter Mischel, the Stanford University Professor who conducted the study confirmed that many years later, these children had experienced significantly different results.

The children who were willing and able to delay immediate gratification at a young age (in return for a greater reward later) ended up having:

•  higher SAT scores in school
•  much lower levels of substance abuse
•  a lower likelihood of being overweight and obese
•  better responses to stress and dealing with failure
•  better social skills
•  Much more likelihood as adults to achieve personal success in both their professional and personal life

What Will You Discover When Teaching Your Kids About Delayed Gratification?

Could you resist temptation?

Following the same basic model of the experiment, I decided to teach a quick lesson about the importance of delayed gratification to my 3 children. I offered a plump looking, delicious tasting marshmallow to each of my 3 kids, then told my children that if they chose to wait 15 minutes before eating the first marshmallow, they would receive an extra marshmallow later.

They all initially decided to wait, and my two girls, the oldest, stayed firm. But after a little while my young son began to waver. I told him it was fully up to him, but he might want to check the timer to see how much longer. As he walked towards it, it rang – saved by the bell!

Later that day I raised the stakes. I announced that each child could purchase some Legos, but their budget would be $20 if they wanted to hit the store that day, or $30 to wait for an online order. The boy chose the store, as the girls’ eyes went wide, knowing they just had to wait for that larger reward. I could almost physically see their delayed gratification “muscle” flexing in that moment.

How Are You Teaching Your Children About Delayed Gratification?

There are many different ways you can teach your own kids about the importance of delaying instant gratification – in return for a more positive reward later… What kind of lessons have you been teaching your kids lately and what methods have you been using at your place? What area of life do you think is most impacted by the skill of waiting?

Leave your comments below, we would love to hear from you and share in your experience! And don’t forget to check out our Spinning Meals App over at the iTunes store. Since it is a recipe manager app, it requires a little time up front to fill it with recipes you love, but when you see it effortlessly “spin” personalized meal plans and shopping lists you’ll know you’re reaping a long-term reward.

Spinning Meals app on iTunes – Click The Picture to see how it works!

1. I know moms give everything, because each child comes into this world essentially as a blank slate, yet year after year they develop in amazing ways.
2. Unlike many/most mammals, human infants are completely helpless at birth, leading some to say that we need a “fourth trimester.” You won’t see us walking on our own within an hour of birth like a giraffe calf or a foal. Hold me mom, just for a year or so!
3. Most moms don’t know when to stop; they seem to want to give everything. They see and fill gaps, like a need for a school volunteer, a need for a conversation at a key moment, or a need to pack 20 contingency items in a diaper bag which seems ridiculous until you realize most of them were actually needed. Dad stands corrected.
4. Moms give everything because kids will take everything they’re given.
5. Moms tend to think of themselves last. They may be the only ones on the plane who actually need the instruction to place the oxygen mask on themselves first before helping others.
6. Raising a good kid requires so much: teaching manners, hygiene, language, habits, compassion, patience, negotiation, and on and on. Giving everything is required.
7. The needs can’t wait. A mom’s to-do list can’t be put off, because the baby is crying now, meal time is now, potty time is…whoops, too late on that one. See what I mean?
8. Motherhood is a non-stop commitment for decades, ridiculously over and above any normal job, as has been well-articulated in this job interview video circulating this year.
9. For a time, a child’s parents may represent the entirety of the world around them, modeling how humans act and interact. Our interplay lays the foundation for how they will eventually get along with: classmates, authority figures, friends, co-workers, spouses, their own children… you name it.
10. Lastly, I know moms give everything because kids are amazing. Starting from newborns they somehow grow into such rich individuals, with so much to offer the world.

This Mother’s Day my hope for every parent is that you’ll pause to admire your kids, recognize how amazing they have become, and take a little credit for being a huge part of that result. I know some days parenthood can feel like the machine in The Princess Bride which can suck a year of your life away all at once, and that may not be too far off from reality. But it’s worth it, right? Right?!? Ryan P.S. Did I miss anything? I’d love to hear your thoughts. By the way, we parents get a lot back too, it’s a two-way street! P.P.S. As we’ve done the last couple years, we’re giving our 5-star meal planning app away in appreciation for moms everywhere, this weekend only. Please spread the word and enjoy!

I’ve been making cornmeal pancakes out of the Fannie Farmer cookbook since we were given it as a wedding gift 16 years ago. It’s hard to think of another recipe I’ve made more times than that one. But of course everything is better with brown butter, and I’ve worked on simplifying this approach so it flows well, thus allowing you to amaze your family while giving the false impression that you worked hard at it. Enjoy!

P.S. With this post I’ve switched email delivery to Mail Chimp instead of AWeber. Please let me know if you have any issues or feedback with the new format.

]]> https://spinningcook.com/2014/brown-butter-cornmeal-pancakes-recipe-a-gold-medal-breakfast/feed/ 2 407 https://spinningcook.com/2013/gluten-free-pumpkin-almond-cake/ https://spinningcook.com/2013/gluten-free-pumpkin-almond-cake/#respond Tue, 26 Nov 2013 15:00:27 +0000 https://spinningcook.com/?p=387 …

This recipe will wow your guests, whether they are gluten-lovers or -avoiders. The “master recipe” for this form of almond cake dates back to medieval times, so it has stood the test of time, as well as the test of my kids and co-workers, who are in love with it. Whether you’re looking for a gluten-free item on your Thanksgiving pie table, or are just intrigued by something new, I hope you’ll try this and I’m sure it won’t disappoint.

Pumpkin and pumpkin-leaf cutouts were combined with string to create the designs in the sugar. Add your own touch!

The powdered sugar dusting can be done with any stencil you choose. And the cream cheese whipped cream is delicious with anything, but a particularly good match for this cake.

The almonds should be processed until they are uniform small bits.

For more about the history of almond cake, developed it would seem by Jews living in Spain about 500 years ago, you can view this video of Claudia Rosen discussing some of her research and discoveries. And here is her own recipe with no pumpkin, for those who want to go back to basics.

The texture is divine, and much more moist than most gluten-free cakes.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Cake Recipe: Pumpkin Almond Cake with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

Print

Recipe type: Dessert

Author: Ryan Smith

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 65 mins

Total time: 1 hour 25 mins

Serves: 10

With a food processor this recipe is a breeze. If you don't have one, you can still make the recipe if you start with almond meal instead of whole/sliced/slivered almonds, and superfine sugar instead of granulated sugar. The only other special equipment needed is a springform pan.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• ½ pound of sliced, slivered, or whole almonds (or use almond meal)
• 1¼ cup granulated or superfine sugar
• Butter or shortening for greasing the pan
• 6 eggs, separated
• ½ cup canned pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
• Powdered sugar for dusting

For the whipped cream:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Create almond meal by placing the almonds in a food processor and processing until they are chopped down to uniform small bits (about 30 seconds if starting with sliced or slivered almonds, longer if using whole almonds). If starting with almond meal, skip this step. Empty the food processor, settings the almond meal aside.
3. Create superfine sugar by processing the granulated sugar in the processor until it has the texture of fine sand, about 10 seconds. Skip this step if starting with superfine sugar.
4. Grease a 9-inch springform pan using butter or shortening. Dust the pan with 1-2 tablespoons of superfine sugar, turning the pan to coat it evenly.
5. Add the egg yolks into the processor with the sugar and process until the color is pale yellow, about 10 more seconds. Add the almond meal back in, along with the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Process until uniform, about 10-20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and process for a few more pulses.
6. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, just until stiff peaks have formed. Pour the batter from the food processor over the top of the egg whites and fold it together with a rubber spatula. Pour the mixture into the springform pan and place in the oven.
7. Cook until the middle of the cake is firm, about 40-45 minutes.
8. Cool in the pan to room temperature. Remove the outer ring, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving, using a stencil of your choice for decoration. Freeze or refrigerate leftovers.

For the whipped cream:

1. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed to loosen it up and break up any large chunks.
2. Add a splash of cream, along with the granulated sugar while continuing to run the beater(s). Turn the mixer to high and add the rest of the cream, the vanilla, and the pinch of salt. Stop the beater(s) and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Resume beating until the cream has reached stiff peaks and doubled in volume. Serve with the cake. NOTE: Since the cream cheese helps to stabilize the whipped cream, this can be made 24 hours in advance, or even a bit longer.

3.2.2158

 

]]>