Peanut Butter Cookies (Shhh...don't tell anyone they're gluten-free, 'cause no one can tell!)

I have a rule about gluten-free cooking: it must not taste gluten-free, or else it doesn't get "Christina's Stamp of Approval."

This cookie recipe not only makes those on a gluten-free diet very happy, but everyone else too! I shared them with friends, on several different occasions and they all agreed that there was no way anyone would guess that they're gluten-free. They're not too sweet, as I cut down on the sugar from the original recipe, and are full of peanut butter goodness! This is the perfect lunchbox cookie for children and adults. They also stay fresh and delicious for at least a week...good stuff! It's also one of the easiest cookie recipes I've made...

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES 

(gluten free, but don't tell anyone!)

adapted from a Saveur recipe

Ingredients

2 cups (16 oz) natural peanut butter, salted -should only contain peanuts and salt (Saveur recipe uses Jif, but even Jif's Natural PB contains lots of other ingredients which are unnecessary)

3/4 cup (6 oz) sugar

3/4 cup (5 1/2 oz) brown sugar

2 tsp. molasses (treacle)

2 tsp. olive oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup demerara sugar (or sugar in the raw) 

Preheat oven to 350º F (175º C)

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and prepare two baking sheets with Silpat Baking Mats or parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream together the peanut butter and sugars, molasses (treacle),

 and oil, then add the eggs, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon until well combined.

 Place demerara sugar in a bowl (I do a little at a time), and after forming the dough into 2" balls, dip one side into the sugar and place on prepared baking sheet, sugar side up.

 

 Flatten the cookies using your hand, or with a fork.

Bake about 10-12 minutes, then allow to sit on cookie sheet for a few minutes 

before placing on a cookie rack to finish cooling. 

They won't win any beauty contests, but if you like peanut butter, 

you're going to fall in love with these cookies.

Store in an airtight container.

Here are some other gluten free dessert recipes that have my "stamp of approval"~

Decadent Chocolate Torte

Meringues

Yule Log 

(can be kept whole as a Swiss Roll for a non-Christmas cake)

Delicious San Francisco (and I'm not just talking about food!) Part 2

photo by Denisa W.

Continued from the last post...

At lunch time on Saturday, Denisa and I went to meet my husband, Bob, and Steven for lunch at a place called Henry's Hunan Restaurant. There were only a handful of guests when we arrived, yet it still took over half an hour to get our orders to us (one order was served to us about every 10 minutes or so.)  To make matters worse, we were all arguing discussing which dish was the Orange Chicken and which was the Sweet and Sour Chicken (yes, it was that hard to distinguish and the flavor was missing in both, too.) Steven was a little disconcerted about just how sticky his lunch was (Orange Chicken) because the sauce looked just like musilage (am I dating myself?)  I was the only one who ordered noodles, and believed initially that I had fared the best, as my husband's Kung Pao Chicken was so tasteless, given a blindfold, I wouldn't have known what I was eating. I ordered the Noodles with Pork and Peanut Sauce, which tasted really good at first, but something about it made me feel rather "sickish" after eating about half of it. I was glad that the feeling passed after about an hour, but I didn't finish my meal and realized that no one had really fared well in the end.

Obviously, I wouldn't recommend Henry's Hunan, because I wouldn't go back myself. There are too many wonderful restaurants in San Francisco to waste a meal at a "not-so-special" restaurant.

Denisa and I walked to the end of Market Street after lunch, to our destination of Pier 1 and the Ferry Building Marketplace.

arts, crafts and jewelry stands across from the Ferry Building

The marketplace is just that, and a food lover's utopia! I wasn't even able to see everything because it was just so jam-packed inside!

Outside, farmers were just closing up their stands for the day, so I hurriedly went to each one to ask if they had any rhubarb. I was on a mission to find rhubarb, as I had been craving it for weeks on end, and had yet to find some. Alas, no one had any or had sold out, so I went back inside. In one shop, I spied the slim, red beauties and almost let out a squeal!

However, it was all for naught, as they didn't "pass inspection." Yes, they looked gorgeous from a distance, but when i picked them up, they were limp and lifeless...essentially, old. I was so disappointed.

We left shortly thereafter, as it was just too busy for my liking, and headed back towards Union Square (more shopping!)

Denisa and I love Macy's, but now we really love the SF Macy's even more because we discovered a little pâtisserie on the third floor called...

TOUT SWEET

It was mid-afternoon, and the perfect time for a pastry and tea or coffee. Denisa ordered a mocha and I ordered the hot chocolate (because I saw that it was made with Valrhona chocolate and came with a real marshmallow!)

 Out of all the pastries and cakes to choose from,

 Denisa chose a "Swoon" Tart (tough choice!)

 

Are words even necessary? Not really, but here's the description...

At some point, another patron in the cafe strongly recommended that I try the Nutella Sugar Bun as it was apparently "crazy good" (I don't remember her exact words.) So I heeded instructions and ordered one.

Can I tell you how hard it was...

...not to eat the whole thing? They even warm it up before they serve it to you! I will definitely be trying to make this in my own kitchen: it's a brioche, filled with a generous amount of Nutella, topped with sliced almonds and covered in a sugar glaze! It takes a lot to "wow" me, but this place did it!!

the view of Union Square from Tout Sweet

And here's proof of how good Tout Sweet was...we went back the next morning for a late breakfast, and brought Steven (it was his 19th birthday.)

 Apparently, everything is fabulously delicious here!

Unfortunately, our dinner on Saturday night was not up to Tout Sweet's standards. We went to a British style pub called the Elephant and Castle, which looked promising when we walked in, however both the food and service left a lot to be desired. One of the things our waiter told us after we waited over half an hour for our food (and saw others getting served before us who had arrived after us) was, "I put your order in before everyone else's" with a shrug and walked off.

Bob and I ordered the special, "Roast Beef Stuffed Yorkshire" which was described on the menu as, "roast beef and caramelized onions stuffed into a Yorkshire pudding with rich gravy, garlic mashed potatoes and vegetable." Steven ordered Steak and Chips and Denisa, Fish and Chips. When our food finally arrived, I immediately noticed that the Yorkshire puddings were so overcooked, they were almost burnt! Let's just say that the next one came out exactly the same, and the manager informed me, "That's how it's supposed to look." The photo below doesn't even look that bad, but it was much darker than it looks; in fact the outside was crunchy and hard as a rock, as were the green beans...I'm not one for overcooked veg, but the beans were just plain raw.

I ended up having Fish and Chips in the end, which made me feel the way I feel after I have had fast food—yucky. The fish pieces were exactly the same size and shape, so I'm sure they came frozen from a box. Steven also said his steak wasn't cooked the way he'd ordered it, so overall, it's very easy for me not to recommend The Elephant and Castle.

However, I don't want to leave you on a bad note, so here are some more pics from Tout Sweet!

These are some other places I have been, and things I have done in San Francisco, and I can highly recommend:

• Alcatraz Tour - get the audio tour with your package, it's worth every penny!
• Lombard Street - the world's "crookedest" street (I'd rather call it the most crooked!)
• Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge (it's always windy and cold so go prepared.)
• Taking in the views and seeing the murals of the Coit Tower.
• Checking out Tartine Bakery-yum!
• Visiting Golden Gate Park.
• Going for a drink (and dessert) at Top of the Mark and enjoying the incredible views.
• Venturing to Fisherman's Wharf (Boudin Bakery is there.)
• Visiting Chinatown.  

If you do go to San Francisco, I'd love to hear your experience. There's definitely something delicious for everyone!

Delicious San Francisco! (and I'm not just talking about food) Part 1

San Francisco loves me!

How do I know? Well, if you knew my luck with travelling and the weather, you'd know that my presence has brought desperately needed rainstorms to parched Italian soil on more than one occasion. You'd be savvy to the fact that during my 9 week trip to Europe, the weather was brilliant in England while I was in Scotland, and once I arrived in England, the sun decided to shine upon Scotland instead...and I didn't really see the sun shine until I reached Sicily, half way through my trip. I seem to have a knack for having bad weather follow me when I travel...except, when I go to San Francisco.

Every single time I have been to this wonderful city, the weather gods have smiled upon me! This is actually quite a feat, especially if you take into consideration the following quote, which is often attributed to Mark Twain (but most likely not his actual words):

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

All I know is that it is such a walkable, enjoyable, beautiful and delicious city, and that everyone who can, should really try to venture into San Francisco and take advantage of all it has to offer, at least once in their lifetime. 

Here's my caveat, before I share my thoughts and experiences on the food places I visited: just as no two people share the exact same values, styles, beliefs and taste buds, my opinions are just that—opinions. 

I know that I have high standards when it comes to certain food, and it's not that I'm picky, it's just that I've been very fortunate to have tasted "the best of the best" of so many cuisines, so the bar has been set very high. I have had my Dad's fish and chips in Scotland (not biased at all-ha ha!), afternoon tea in England...

 

 ...pastries in Paris, apple strudel in Germany, Weiner Schnitzel in Austria, chocolate in Switzerland, homemade gnocchi in Italy, fresh swordfish in Sicily, corn straight off the stalk in Michigan, homegrown citrus and avocados in California...I think you get the idea. I also want to clarify that I'm not a food snob, by any means; I actually prefer peasant and pub food to haute and nouveau cuisines. I just go by what my tastebuds tell me, and most of the time they are screaming at me (in true Italian fashion).

So, without further ado, here's my take on the things we did in and around San Francisco...I hope it is both helpful and enjoyable...I'd love to hear what you think.


First of all, the fog in SF is not a rumor...this is on a bright sunny afternoon, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge...

And just a few minutes later: a view from the road on our way to Muir Woods.

MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT

About 11 miles north of San Francisco, just past the Golden Gate Bridge, you will feel as if you have just travelled 111 miles from the city as you near Muir Woods. Named after John Muir, (a Scotsman!) who is known as the founder of the US National Parks system. All I can say is that you will not be disappointed if you decide to leave SF for a short trip to see this awe-inspiring area. The Redwood trees' age and height is enough to inspire awe! There are salmon in Redwood Creek which runs through Muir Woods, so the time of year you go will determine what stage of the salmon's life cycle you will see.

My daughter, Denisa, practiced her photography skills on nature's beauty, as we walked through the forest.

Photos by Denisa W.

SAUSALITO

On our way back to San Francisco, we stopped to see the famous little town of Sausalito. What a slice of heaven!  Subdued and elegant, but also like a diva showing off all she has, Sausalito has a fabulous, yet laid back atmosphere, which made me want to stay the night, or maybe the year...hey, did someone say "coolest retirement spot, ever?" All this and 10 minutes away from San Francisco!? Just, wow.

purple flower photo by Denisa W.

Don't have a car in SF? Then just ride over to Sausalito on the ferry! How awesome is that? By the way, I would recommend not driving a car into San Francisco for several reasons:

1. The parking prices alone are reason enough...plan on at least $50/night at hotels.

2. The city is very "walkable", so if you are in decent shape, you can walk to see a lot of it.

3. The public transportation system is fabulous, plus, don't you want to ride on a cable car?

So, back in Sausalito, we popped into a little cafe (Caffe Tutti) in town and had some coffee and pastries, which were just "okay", then walked along the main street which offered little boutiques selling their jewlery, gifts and knick-knacks, interspersed with restaurants and other shops. There was one shop in particular that caught my eye, called Venice Gourmet, which sold lots of gourmet food, kitchen tools, gifts and even loads of British candy! Alas, their prices were quite high, so I only came out with a few bags of dried lupini beans.

That night we decided to go to North Beach, which is San Francisco's "Little Italy", and went back to a restaurant we'd been to last year, called...

PANTA REI

Sometimes I walk into an Italian restaurant and turn right around and walk back out, because of the smell. Honestly, there's a difference in the smell of an authentic Italian restaurant versus others. Panta Rei is an Italian restaurant I really like, and we actually ended up eating there twice over the weekend.

Please excuse the first three photos from Friday evening as it was dark in the restaurant, but I can recommend the Tortelloni Verdi which my daughter ordered (no photo) which were green ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a mascarpone sauce...truly just like homemade, and so creamy and delicious! I enjoyed my calzone, filled with mozzarella and Italian sausage, hot out of the oven, topped with fresh tomato...

My husband and son enjoyed the lasagna, although I didn't taste it, it did look good. At the end of our meal, our wonderful waiter, Gianni, brought us a piece of tiramisu which was perfection! It was exactly the right proportions of moistness (I hate dry tiramisu), flavor and creamy texture. It wasn't overly sweet or rich...this is one of the best tiramisus I've tasted, to tell you the truth.

My kids and I went back to Panta Rei for Sunday lunch, just before we headed back to LA, and since it was my son, Steven's 19th birthday, I didn't want to chance it at someplace we didn't know...and my son ordered a Pizza Margherita again (he and my daughter had one as an appetizer on Friday!) This is how I like pizza: not super thin, but not too thick. A little less cheese would do me fine, but I know most people like more.

Denisa was over the moon with her Caprese Sandwich and salad! I must make these at home...I just always forget about using my sandwich press!

I had the Tre Paste, which usually comes with a red sauce too, but I misspoke when I ordered, so I got pink sauce on two of the pastas, which was no big deal as they were all wonderful: gnocchi, strozzapreti, and ravioli.

The next morning, Denisa and I went out for a little shopping and had a chocolate croissant from...

BOUDIN BAKERY

Now, I could do an entire post just on Boudin Bakery. They're famous for their fabulous sourdough bread which they have been making since 1849 (okay, Europeans, for example, may "pooh-pooh" this, but in the US that's a long time!) I absolutely adore their clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl! Unfortunately, I didn't have it on this trip (massive traffic jam on the main road it is on, so I had to give up) but it's something you won't want to miss if you've never had it before. (I must add that we had hot chocolate from Boudin Bakery last year, which was so bad no one could drink it and we had to throw it away, so stick to their baked goods and chowder!)

this is from a few years ago

I'm glad we didn't want to ride the cable car this time as I have never seen such a long queue! People must have waited hours to ride it...but again, it's something you just have to do at least once!

about a quarter of the queue is visible here

UNION SQUARE

If you like to shop, I have two words for you regarding Union Square: GO THERE.

The list of stores and shops is in the link above, but I do want to point out that you won't want to miss Williams-Sonoma's flagship store...all three floors of it!

Nearby, I spotted two Scottish flags which lured me across to them like magnets to The Whisky Shop, which sold everything from Scotch Whisky to kilts and keychains.

Down the street from there we found Fiona's Sweetshoppe, which was filled with all the different sorts of candies (sweeties) I grew up with in Scotland! It's a lovely little shop, and I ended up buying some Barley Sugar, Strawberries and Cream and Lemon Sherbet "sweeties", which are all made in the UK!

Denisa took a photo as it reminded her of Honeydukes Sweetshop from Harry Potter (gee, I wonder where J.K. Rowling got that idea?)

photo by Denisa W.

To be continued...

Burrata Cheese...Worthy of Summer's First Tomato

Today, I picked my first tomato of the summer.

It was like holding a prize I'd won. Even with it's blemishes and imperfect shape, it looked fabulous to me, and I knew it would be the best tomato I will have eaten this year. Such a harvest cannot be paired with just any run-of-the-mill ingredient. No, it had to be something just as exceptional which I would eat with this beautiful tomato...and I realized I had the perfect accompaniment in my fridge: burrata!

Burrata is definitely not an "everyday" cheese. It's possible that many of you haven't even heard of burrata before. If so, you'll have to make sure that the first time you try it, that it will be a good quality burrata. I've tasted some pretty bad burrata cheeses, and if I didn't know any better, those would have been my last. In the same way that someone who has never tasted an apple before bites into a mushy, tasteless apple for the first time and decides they don't like apples, you don't want to taste the "wrong" burrata for the first time and decide it's not for you.

Now, if you are in the Los Angeles area, you are in luck, because I can recommend the best one I know, and it's made by the Gioia Cheese Company (I find it at most Italian delis.)

Burrata is a very soft cheese; it has a fresh mozzarella skin on the outside, holding in a creamy, spreadable ricotta-like center. It's difficult to describe, but Russ Parsons of the LA Times had a great analogy: "Burrata is to mozzarella, what foie gras is to chicken liver." This is why I chose to have it with my first tomato of the summer...it's a match made in foodie-heaven.

Burrata is best eaten plain, so you can enjoy its wonderful flavor. I usually put it on a plate and let everyone help themselves; a little bread, olive oil, sprinkle of salt (on the tomato) and basil is all that's needed for a gorgeous open-face sandwich, too (otherwise known as today's lunch!)

So, yes, my first little tomato of the summer lived up my expectations, along with one of my favorite cheeses; it's a lovely way to start the season (before it's even officially begun!)

I wish you a bountiful summer (when it arrives) of fresh fruits and vegetables (and burrata!) 

Here are some other summer recipes to try~

Simple, Fresh & Healthy Garden Salad

The Simplest, Most Delicious Artichokes, Ever

Avocado and Tomato Salad