Culinary Cry for Help

I love to cook. I think that's been evident from many of my previous posts. But I have been thrown a challenge. Chris and I have a good friend who's been diagnosed with an allergy to yeast and mold. We've been invited to a Christmas party at their home and it's a pot luck of appetizers and deserts. Poor Krista won't be able to eat much so I have volunteered to bring one of each and ensure that they are things she can eat.

I have pasted her list of "do NOT eat" foods below and am looking for some recipes that I can share with her as well as 2 to bring to the party; one sweet, one savory. Any suggestions are welcome as are any resources. Keeping in mind that Krista is a self-proclaimed bad cook. She's mastering the art of the crock pot and her husband, Justin, is pretty good with the grill.

Can't wait to see what my friends come up with here, and THANK YOU in advance for your suggestions :-)

Foods to avoid on a yeast free diet

Yeasty foods:

Breads, rolls, cookies, pastries, pretzels and other bready foods

Vinegar, and foods which contain it, like mayonnaise, salad dressing, barbecue sauce, mustard, pickles and pickled foods.

Wine, beer and spirits

Fermented foods and beverages like sauerkraut or cider

Moldy foods:

All cheese

Dried, smoked or pickled meats

Cured bacon

Mushrooms, peanuts, and pistachios

Soy sauce, miso, tamari, and tempeh

Malt

Pre-packaged herbs and teas

Canned tomatoes

Sugary foods:

Processed sugar (granulated, confectioner’s, brown)

Grapes, raisins, dates, prunes and figs; citrus fruits

Fruit juices and dried fruits

Soft drinks and drink mixes

Honey and maple syrup

High-fructose corn syrup

Chocolate

Starchy foods:

Corn

Potatoes

Quick Update

Blogging this week has been a little rough. I seem to be at a loss for words...not much interesting going on in the Rowland house. Here's the quick 10-point-update:

1. Fuzzy sheets went on the bed Tuesday night and I couldn't be happier about it!
2. Leaving my house at 5:15 for the gym is not the right time. Their parking lot holds about a quarter of the the capacity of the gym...tough to find a spot. I parked on the road. Others circling the lot left. More exercise for me that way. I had to walk a block just to get there!
   
3. Our first house party ever is on for Saturday. There will be a total of 8 of us, plus one toddler and an infant.
4. I am reinventing the Drunk Cake this week. If you've had the infamous McFarlane Drunk Cake, you know it's pretty perfect. But I am going to make a white version in addition to dressing up the chocolate version. It may be a flop, but I am thinking that it will either be like a spice cake or a coconut cake. I love the coconut idea. Are there some who hate coconut? As for reinventing the chocolate version...think mint!
   
5. We like to sleep with our bedroom COLD. I mean really cold; the colder the better. But my office is in here. I think you could hang meat in here and my hands are so cold they feel like they are about to break off. Good thing I have a fireplace! Or maybe I like to sleep really cold so that I can run the fire while I work. The jury's out on that one.
   
6. Our beagle, Abby, hates the cold. And hates the snow even more. Needless to say, we have to keep the deck shoveled so she'll "go" in the yard.
   
7. My coworker has buried me in achievable deadlines this week. For the first time in many days, my head is above water. But please don't tell anyone. I like it this way and would hate to have more work on my plate right now. An even distribution is a good thing!
8. We officially settled on the pasta bar idea for Saturday. Three sauce choices, three noodle choices and 10 topping choices-everything from capers and sun-dried tomatoes to meatballs and Italian sausage.
9. Our guests are so excited about it that they are each bringing a dish that coordinates with the theme. Who knew this would catch on so well! Pretty cool, eh?
10. I had my hair colored Tuesday night. About 6 months ago my now ex-stylist (against my request) put highlights in my hair and I hated them. Finally, the toner has come out and I looked like bad-roots-dishwater-blonde. It was awful. So, I covered it up. And it's D-A-R-K. Holy buckets is it dark. Like Lauren Graham dark. But I LOVE it! Even the 4th grade kiddos at Junior Achievement yesterday told me that I looked different...I asked how and one kid said, "different like prettier." I can live with that.
    

Party Food

Chris and I are throwing our first ever party on Saturday night. We have had friends over for dinner many times, but it has never been more than one couple at a time. And Thanksgiving is different...you don't have to be that creative with the meal...although I have been pretty creative with the deserts and potato preparation (My father in law can't have dairy at all.)

As of right now, we may have three couples and four children that come over to play! At first I was thinking burgers and dogs, but am now thinking "no way" on that idea. I don't really like hot dogs and burgers are a challenge in our house right now. Chris and I are at war over the size of the burger, the cooking method (Weber grill or gas grill), the temperature at which to cook them, and finally the temperature at which consumption is safe. I think it's just best to not have burgers in front of guests so as to avoid the...errr...loud discussion that usually ensues.

So, what should I make?

• Ribs are good, but also very subjective (one person's yummy could be another person's yucky).
• The skirt steak with salsa verde from Thursday was pretty awesome, but if you have a garlic aversion, you will go hungry
• What if we did a "make your own chicken?" I could chop up a bunch of garlic and herbs, have the liquids ready (EVOO, salad dressings, tabasco, etc) and let everyone marinate their own chicken breast in whatever cooties they want. We can put toothpicks in them w/ little flags so we can tell them apart and if they are all the same size, regardless of the marinade, they will take the same amount of time to cook.
• Even though I lived in Texas, twice, Tex-Mex isn't really my thing. I love to eat it, but can't create it to my specifications.
• What about a "build your own" with an Italian theme? Different noodles, sauces, toppings, sausages, etc. That could be fun...and could include mac & cheese for any kiddos who come.
  

Ok, I am really looking for a fun, creative and impressive idea. I have never cooked for any of these friends before and I want to put my best foot forward so they will want to come back. And I love to cook! So, suggestions? And forward the blog along to your friends too. I want to hear what the world thinks!

Dogs in the News

I remember hearing Mt. Pleasant's infamous "Barking Dog" story involving a McGuirk and his new neighbor. Something about the constant barking dog, a tape recorder and a loud speaker.

Last week there was a story on our local news about a puppy that was shot through the fence with a pellet gun. Likely because of barking. The dog had some surgery and is fine now, but the owner is REALLY mad and I don't blame him one bit.

With both of those stories, I have always thought, "jeeze, it's just a dog. It can't help it that its parents neglect it."

That was until last night. I don't know where on the culdasac the dog lived, but it was close. Probably within 2 houses close. Even closing the window didn't help with the constant bark. The dog started barking at 10:00pm and at 2:00am we were so (insert really bad word followed by another really bad word) that we got up, put shoes and socks on and decided to figure out where it was coming from so that we could call somebody to make the dog stop barking. As soon as Chris stepped one foot out the door...silence. No barking, no crickets, no cars, no breeze. NOTHING. Ahhhh...relief!

By the time we were back in bed, it was 2:30 am. Needless to say with a 6:30 alarm this morning, we are both a little cranky with puffy eyes today. And I have heard the dog barking on and off today while I work. I would never harm somebody's helpless pet. But I think I understand the motivation behind the tape recorder and the pellet gun.

Tonight I will be armed with my own weapon... a telephone with Animal Control on speed dial. I don't do well with 4 hours of sleep. Chris is dealing a little better than I am, but he's listening to Christmas music so that he's not grumpy when our friends come over for dinner tonight. It's way too early for that and hearing TSO (Trans Siberian Orchestra--a Rowland family favorite that I happen to loathe) this morning almost pushed me over the edge of insanity.

The good news: The day is half over and our good friends that took a year-long sabbatical to do mission work all over the world are back home and coming over for dinner tonight. The last time we saw them was when they we lived next door to them in our old house! Good friends, good wine, experimental dinner (grilled marinated skirt steak with salsa verde and grilled endive) and cherry pie for desert. Nothing to complain about!!

Insert Clever Title Here

I wanted to start out by saying that I have the greatest blog readers EVER! You all made such great points. And in case you are all curious, Chris and I put our notice in on Saturday. We were informed that on August 24 we will be required to vacate the apartment and turn in our keys by 6:00 pm, regardless of the status of our new home. It's a calculated risk and we are willing to take it!

Then we went and bought a washer and dryer. Of all the things in all the world that I would love to shop for, those appliances don't even make the list. It's difficult to spend money on something I know I will never love. Needless to say, we didn't buy expensive ones. But did opt for new rather than used.

Now for this week. It should be rather busy with several month-end projects to wrap up by Thursday, and my in-laws coming for a visit on Friday afternoon. They'll stay with us through the weekend, then have their own plans for the week. It will be great to see them.

Oh, and my good friend Lisa had her baby on Saturday night. So I should probably add a visit to meet baby Koen one night this week. They also have 17 month old Kyler. For those moms out there, if I make a dinner to take to them, what should I make for a munchkin? I know that he likes graham crackers, macaroni and cheese and pickles. Maybe I'll just take those things!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Some things never change

I have had the same BFF since 5th grade. It seems like it was spring time when Angie showed up in school. The first weekend she lived in Mt. Pleasant I asked her to stay the night at my house. It was the beginning of a friendship that I had no idea would stand the test of time.

Sure, there were times as teenagers when boys or mean girls or sports or something created a space in our friendship, but never a void. After we graduated from high school, Angie moved to Italy, Chicago, New York, Paris, Germany and who knows where else. All I know is that Europe comes to a standstill in August and Angie always came home for the month. I would spend as much time in Ludington as possible to see her while I could.

Since then, Angie moved back to MI, I moved to TX, then she moved to Cleveland and I moved to Denver. You know you have found your BFF when miles between homes and time between chats only means we appreciate every moment we get together that much more.

Angie now has three kiddos under the age of 3 which limits her geographic mobility and I have a job that doesn't take me to Ohio anymore. We've been trying so hard for me to get to Cleveland, but airfare has been absolutely outrageous lately.

Tonight, unlike so many other nights, we were able to talk on the phone and caught up for nearly an hour (thanks sleeping kids!). When we got off the phone I knew now was the time. I need to get to OH to see Angie and Mike and those beautiful children. So I booked a ticket. Thankfully the price has come down substantially. It's still a little more than I should spend, but the way I see it, my BFF is worth WAY more than a new outfit and a fancy dinner out.

So, Cleveland, I'll see you on September 24th!