Lori, Author at Fake Food Free

Slow Cooker Maple Jalapeno Chicken Sliders

February 26, 2015

These Slow Cooker Maple Jalapeno Chicken Sliders have a flavorful balance of sweet, salty and spicy. Crown Maple gave me a sample of their delicious organic maple syrup at the Winter Fancy Food Show last month and it made the perfect addition to this easy meal!

I learned long ago that there is no denying my sweet tooth. Yes, you can calm it down by cutting out all forms of added sugar. I did that a couple years ago. Cravings subsided, and even now I don’t like things nearly as sweet as I used to, but the sweet tooth never really went away.

If you have a sweet tooth, you know what I’m talking about.

People tend to fall into a sweet or salty category. Some have no desire for any type of sugar. But threaten to take away their potato chips, and look out! Meanwhile, if you told me I could never have a potato chip or pretzel again I would not shed a single tear. But let’s not talk about the horror of never having caramel, chocolate, or my favorite sweetener, maple syrup.

Grain Free Pizza Crust from Everyday Grain-Free Baking

February 20, 2015

I found this grain free pizza crust in my review copy of Everyday Grain-Free Baking by Kelly Smith. I quickly became a huge fan. It’s a variation that everyone will love regardless of your personal eating style.

Everyone has an opinion about grains these days. Some people limit them because they think it helps them lose weight, or because they follow a specific eating style. Others stay away from the gluten in grains out of necessity due to a diagnosed medical condition, or because it makes them feel better. Grains are in the spotlight right now for better or worse, no doubt.

I don’t speak much about the topic because opinions are so strong on every side of the argument. What I am happy about is that all this grain talk has given those with medically diagnosed gluten allergies many, many more food options and I think this is a great thing.

I can only speak to my own experiences. I am not gluten free or grain free. Neither make me feel bad as others claim they do, and yes, I have experimented with cutting them out. I completely respect that your story might be that your life changed after cutting them out, but that story isn’t mine.

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate

February 17, 2015

These shortbread cookies are loaded with crunchy pistachios. Made with raw sugar and white whole wheat flour, they are rich and crumbly, and slightly sweetened with a drizzle of white chocolate.

It happens this time every year. Right about mid February, I’m ready for cookies again. At this point, I feel like I’ve sufficiently recovered from the cookie overdose brought on by the holiday season.

A few weeks spent anti-cookie and I’m ready to start thinking up some new recipes. Thoughts of butter, brown sugar and chocolate chips resume their place in my head. Before I know it, the oven is preheated and the cookie sheets are lined.

Meyer Lemon Bourbon Winter Warmer

February 8, 2015

This Meyer lemon bourbon cocktail is the best way to get through a cold winter night! It combines the fresh flavor of seasonal citrus with warming spices and Kentucky bourbon.

Let’s be clear. It’s not cold here. If I were to utter the phrase, “I’m cold,” I’m certain it would be met with a bless-her-heart chuckle and an eye roll from just about everyone Colorado and eastward. Those being pounded with snow would likely close the browser window, never to return.

So it’s not cold, but it does get cool and there are distinct differences between winter, spring, summer and fall here in the Bay Area. Thank goodness, because I do love the four seasons. They just aren’t nearly as extreme as other places I’ve lived.

That being said, I still love the comfort foods and drinks of winter — a steaming bowl of soup, rich pot pies, and a warm bourbon drink — just as much as a person digging out from the snow.

We might not have freezing temps, but one thing we do have in the winter is citrus! And you are probably well aware of my love for it.

When we moved into our apartment here in 2012, I immediately purchased a small dwarf Meyer lemon tree from the local farmers market. I read up a little on growing them in pots and this tree already had a few lemons on it when I bought it so I thought, this is going to be too easy.

Crispy Egg Custard Tarts (Pastéis de Nata) from My Portugal by George Mendes

February 3, 2015

These egg custard tarts are a classic Portuguese dessert and one that brings fond memories of our time living in Brazil. I was so happy to find a good recipe in the cookbook My Portugal by George Mendes so that I could make them in my own kitchen and share the recipe with you.

I was sitting with my friends Juliana and Fernando enjoying a bowl of Caldo Verde on one of the rare cool days that occur during the months of June and July. It was the week of the world food festival in Maringa-PR, Brasil, when the town square turns into a food-lovers paradise with booth after booth of edible offerings representing numerous countries around the world.

Baby Yellow Potatoes with Smoky Sauce, Pickled Shallots and Bacon

January 29, 2015

These baby yellow potatoes are a recreation of an appetizer we had while dining out. They are served with a smoky sauce and topped with tangy pickled shallots and crisp crumbled bacon! The Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes I recently received from Melissa’s Produce are the perfect size for this party snack or side dish.

I’m not really a bar person. Brewery tasting room person, yes, but bar person, not so much. I’m talking about the kind where all the cool kids go. The places where you have to scream to speak with someone and get bumped so many times that you aren’t sure if you actually drank your cocktail or splashed it out of the glass.

Truth be told, though, these places are usually pretty cool, with intriguing interiors and inventive drinks. I don’t like to miss out completely, so if I do go, I prefer to be there about 5:00 pm.

Yes, I know. Old lady. But this is also when happy hour specials are available so I call it me being frugal.

Don’t worry. I see it, too. Happy hour specials could easily merge into the early bird discounts at the local restaurant and eating dinner at 4:00 pm. I may be on a downward spiral.

Beef Medallions with Spinach and Arugula Paired with Cultivar Wine

January 26, 2015

Special meals don’t have to be complicated. These beef medallions are quick and easy. They pair so well with the excellent 2012 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon I received from Cultivar Wine.

Fancy is not a word that I would use to describe my cooking. Most often from scratch, sometimes simple, other times complicated, but not exactly fancy.

But every now and then I get the opportunity to make something a little special. Like when you receive an elegant, yet approachable bottle of fine wine.

Blood Orange and Finger Lime Gin Martini

January 21, 2015

Add some citrus to your next cocktail! This simple gin martini is made with fresh blood orange juice and flavorful finger limes!

Citrus season is one of those things that went completely unnoticed to me prior to living in California. With oranges, lemons and limes available year round and a few tangerines thrown into the mix, it never felt like there was a beginning and end to the selection.

These days, things are different. My post autumn-pumpkin and holiday-gingerbread blues, are not so difficult to deal with anymore. Now, as we move into January and February, I hear trumpets in my head and a big round of applause as I walk into a supermarket or roam the farmers market. Ta da — it’s citrus season!

Smoked Salmon Sandwich

January 18, 2015

This smoked salmon sandwich is a re-creation of one of the many great meals we had in Copenhagen. It’s super simple, but so delicious!

We had a mission to try all the Danish specialties we could get our hands on during our recent trip to Copenhagen. That meant a lot fish — pickled herring, curried herring, gravlax and a delicious smoked salmon sandwich.

I’ve had that sandwich on my mind since we returned. The flavors here aren’t unfamiliar, but the idea of smoked salmon on a sandwich was new to me. It’s not something I would think to make at home, but that has all changed now.

Ground Turkey and Ale Cabbage Rolls and My 3 Words

January 7, 2015

I’m sharing My 3 Words for the New Year along with a spiced up and spiked version of cabbage rolls!

It’s a new year. I keep repeating that to myself, but it doesn’t want to stick.

Most years, I feel this big sense of transition as we close one out and enter another. I’m big on the goals and resolutions, so I have those all lined up and I’m ready to jump right in the minute the ball drops.

This year feels different.

We spent the last two weeks of 2014 traveling. We visited Copenhagen, went to Berlin and explored the markets over the Christmas holiday, enjoyed a day in Malmo and returned to Copenhagen for New Years Eve. It was a blissful break filled with new experiences, people and foods.