Merely Food

4 Great “Indoor BBQ” Ideas. Let It Rain!

Don’t let the possibility of rain ruin your holiday.

Great BBQ can be had indoors, without a grill!

Try these succulent oven ribs. They have a very flavorful rub and taste just as good without any BBQ sauce.

Craving a tasty “pulled” sandwich? Try these BBQ pulled pork and chicken recipes!

In Chicago, and don’t feel like cooking? Stop by Smoque! But, be sure to call first to make sure they’re open.

by MerelyMarie on May 24, 2013 4 Comments

Coming Up: Ground Turkey Gyro Recipe.

Like gyros? Don’t like lamb?

Stay tuned!

I found an outstanding recipe for restaurant-quality gyro meat that uses ground turkey instead of lamb.

by MerelyMarie on May 7, 2013 4 Comments

Big Blueberry Banana Muffins.

Same recipe. Bigger muffin!

I used a 6-cup muffin tin, instead of a 12-cup, and baked an additional 8-10 minutes.

by MerelyMarie on April 27, 2013 2 Comments

The Great Sweet Potato Stalk.

So. I have this sweet potato in my kitchen.

When I bought it, it was a smooth, firm, and this deliciously bright orangey-red color.

A couple weeks later, it grew eyes.

A week or two more, the eyes started to grow something else. Stalks? Whatever they are, I’ve never seen this before. We’re curious to see how tall this thing can grow!

If planted outside, would it grow more sweet potatoes? Or, better yet, a humungous sweet potato stalk?! I like to imagine the latter. Growing as wide as a sequoia. Up, up, UP and into the clouds!

If you saw this in real-life (like in a forest preserve), would you climb up?

by MerelyMarie on April 25, 2013 4 Comments

Two Cool Coffee Finds!

Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans are so darn good! I’ve never eaten actual coffee beans before. The sound of doing so seemed odd, and yucky. But, all that passed after the first bite! This chocolate is good, and the espresso bean adds these nifty little pieces of crunch. Yummy! It’s impossible to eat just one. After 8 or 9, you definitely feel more awake! 10, and you’ll be singing and dancing around with feelings of sunshine in your heart. You probably shouldn’t eat more than 10.
Orly Nail Lacquer. The color is called Coffee Break, and I dig it! This is the first Orly nail polish that I’ve tried. More details to come later.

by MerelyMarie on April 14, 2013 9 Comments

Gluten-Free Options.

No wheat, corn, egg, or potato. For two weeks. I did slip up twice, accidentally cooking with cornstarch and drinking 7-Up (which has corn syrup in it) but, WHEW…I’m glad that’s over!

Here’s some of what I ate:

Oven BBQ Ribs, and Macaroni & Cheese with Spicy Coleslaw.
I used gluten-free pasta, gluten-free cheese and flour for the “mac”, and oil & vinegar (instead of mayo) in the slaw. ~~Recipe to come on these awesome ribs…~~See the recipe for the ribs here.
Fried Rice with Turkey Bacon. I really wish I had written this recipe down. It was delicious! I do remember using gluten-free soy sauce. San-J, Tamari. I’ve been using this brand to cook with long before this diet. San-J is definitely a favorite of mine, as it doesn’t contain as much salt as most soy sauce brands, and has no MSG. During week one, I actually ate a lot of rice for dinner. I had it (instead of pasta) with chicken cacciatore, and with this stir-fried broccoli dish (I tried using ground turkey instead of steak, and it actually turned out good.)
Chopped Salad. There’s pasta in the original recipe but, I left it out.
Turkey Lettuce Thingies with Sharp Cheddar & Grapes.
A piece of gluten-free deli turkey, slapped between two pieces of green leaf lettuce with a squirt of mustard. I could’ve gotten more fancy with this (and added tomato, vinaigrette dressing, salt & pepper) but, I didn’t feel like it. I was still upset about not having any bread.
A real sandwich, with gluten-free sandwich bread. Now we’re talking! I’d finally found one bread brand that didn’t contain any wheat, corn or potato. YAY!

Details on this sandwich bread, and more gluten-free “bready goodness”, food finds ahead…

[Read more...]

by MerelyMarie on April 1, 2013 12 Comments

6 Wheat-Free Foods, Lactose-Free Cheese + My First Week Food Allergy Free Update.

Trader Joe’s Soft-Baked SnickerDoodles. Soft. Chewy. Cinnamon-y. Good!
Bob’s Red Mill Rice Flour. So far, I’ve only used this for Mac & Cheese roux and blueberry crisps. It’s a bit grainy/gritty, but it works as a (wheat) flour substitute.
Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese. This is the first cheese brand that I’ve ever seen that is both gluten and lactose-free. I don’t have an allergy/intolerance to lactose but, it still feels good to know this. I’ve tried Cabot’s (white) Sharp, NY Extra Sharp, and (I think) Seriously Sharp cheddar cheeses. All are good! Vermont Sharp cheddar is my favorite though. It’s perfect with strawberries, or grapes. Very good!
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar, Caramel with Black Sea Salt. I probably won’t buy this again. Too salty for my taste. I prefer this salted caramel chocolate.
Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed Meal. I’ve yet to use this. I read on the package that it can be used as an egg substitute, so I bought it. What do you use flaxseed meal for, if you’ve used it?
Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Rice Pasta. It tastes just like rice, until you add some sauce & spices. Then, it tastes just like regular ole pasta. Good!