Dinner for one

Well here we are, summer nearly gone, I've started a new job and I am living 1200 miles away from my better half. I spent this weekend mostly alone aside from the occasional sighting of my always-on-the-go roommate. This was a bit of a strange experience for me - at first very welcomed, but by Sunday night a weekend of dissertation-data-for-company grows a little stale.

On the other hand my self-inflicted isolation did leave time to make something I haven't had in a few months and relished greatly, pizza! My new roommate claims he never really bothers to cook because it's "just for himself" but I say this can be one of the most enjoyable experiences, if only because you get to eat exactly what you like without compromise. For example, I love mushrooms (I know, you're gagging already. I'm thinking of my friend that has a strict "no fungus" policy when it comes to food in her household). People tend to have very strong feelings on the topic of mushrooms and it took me many years to come around to enjoying them. Even now, I still get creeped out by the thought of eating them raw. But fried up on a pizza with green peppers and onions? Heavenly.

For this recipe I used a Bob's red mill pizza mix, some pasta sauce from Aldi's (a basic marinara) and LOTS of mozzarella. I was really impressed with the texture of the dough and only felt it could have been a little less yeasty (the smell was very strong). The pizza was in fact delicious and to my delight just as I was ready to sit down to dinner my boyfriend came online for a quick video chat. Alright I admit - pizza made just the way I like it still tastes better with company...

Bonus Donuts

As long as we're talking food... I'll follow my pie with some donuts (yeah Homie!). A couple weeks ago I was dying for a donut (I really wanted a nice soft Dunkin Donut with strawberry frosting and sprinkles)... as you can see I have a sweet tooth. Alas, I had to (happily) settle for homemade gluten free buttermilk donuts thanks to a suggestion from my cousin.

Recipe here

Now I'd consider myself an experienced cook... not gourmet but handy in the kitchen, and this was entirely new to me. Deep fry? Yikes! Thankfully the experience wasn't too bad, except the hotness! - Main lesson: you don't need to keep the stove at it's highest heat setting. Also, next time I'll halve the recipe. Although, when I went to pick up the container I left at work the other day and every last bite was eaten I guess it worked out my anonymous nibblers.  :)

 Makin' the dough... donuts!

 Fry baby fry!

Final product! Some glazed... some cinnamon sugar.

Pie

I've had so many things I've wanted to share in the past few months, but with 3 weeks left until the big move and a huge stall on my dissertation progress, alas the blogging has gone to the wayside.

But today I had to put excuses aside. One of my favorite blogs (ok my favorite food blog hands-down) is hosting a pie party. Pie you say?!! I must participate. Plus this Saturday was my going away party - what better way to say goodbye than with a pie? A Key Lime pie with gluten-free ginger bread crust and homemade whipped cream on top! Yes I can't stop exclaiming it was SO yummy!

I made the crust from Mi-del ginger snaps grounded in a blender and a few tablespoons of melted butter pat down with a fork. Then....

I sliced those little baby Key Limes (which I later disappointingly read on the package came from Mexico - oh well they were pungent and delicious!). I squeezed the slices one by one until I had about 1/2 cup lime juice (yeah I need a juicer - but I'm not buying a single new toy until AFTER the big move).

Finally a few egg yolks, some sweetened condensed milk, 1 drop of green food coloring, a good stir and 15 minutes later - viola!

I forgot to take a "cooked" picture, especially with the whipped cream but oh well. It was devoured within about 20 minutes at the party. I'm lucky I even got a bite since it disappeared pretty much as soon as I left the room.

Unfortunately in the midst of my few dozen guests I also forgot to take a picture of my lovely friends that braved the hot Missouri sun to join our little celebration. They should know they will be missed dearly and until the next time... at least we had pie!

Testing testing

Here is a peek into my future. A place saver if you will. I used to write a blog full of mostly poetry but I started grad school and it felt silly. So I stopped... That was nearly 7 years ago. Now blogging is all the rage and despite trying to resist bandwagons here I am. Why? I like to write and I often myself in strange/amusing/unusual situations. I also know a thing or two about health and psychology, so I'm hoping to put my sleuthing skills to good use by sharing this knowledge. Finally, since going gluten free in January 2011 I find my life is ever more tied together by food, cooking adventures and the people that make eating that food special.

You won't really hear much from me until I finish graduate school - so if you found this blog congrats because it was my secret and I'm not sharing! But I wanted to mess with the template and so here it goes.