Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

About a month ago, my doctor put me on a gluten free diet. I kind of wanted to cry because I love to bake, but surprisingly, it hasn't been too bad. You get kind of used to walking past the dessert table at parties...

This morning, I woke up with my stomach talking to me and knew immediately what I wanted for breakfast. Corn cakes. I found this recipe from Leite's Culinaria and was definitely pleased with the product. The cakes were super easy to make, and best of all, the recipe made enough leftovers for breakfasts throughout the week.



Cornmeal Griddle Cakes:

You'll need:
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar (granted, I added this and it probably didn't do anything to the taste, but how can you make any sort of cake without sugar?)


1. Mix the dry ingredients.

2. Add the egg and water. Mix until of a pourable consistency. Add more water if necessary. "The batter should be soupy but not watery."

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, drop a 1/4 cup dollop of batter into the pan. It should start to sizzle immediately.

4. Wait for bubbles to appear on top of cake (about a minute). Flip when bottom side is golden brown, then cook for another minute or so before removing from pan. You might want to plate them on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.

As you continue to cook, add more oil to the pan for frying if needed.



5. Serve cakes hot out of the pan.

Yum. I had some with strawberry jam for breakfast -- the most elaborate breakfast I've had in weeks, since usually I have plain old corn Chex and almond milk. Tasty, just, you know, boring.

For lunch I had another with some barbecue. Yumz. Will definitely be saving this recipe!

Monsoon Season

It's been a rainy summer in Charlotte. In fact, we've had near record rainfall. It rains pretty much every day. I don't remember it being like this in high school... GLOBAL WARMING!*

While it does put a damper on summer plans (no pun intended), the rain is kind of pretty and I guess calming. See for yourself. Here's what summer in Charlotte's looked like this year.

Charlotte's Monsoon Summer from Averi on Vimeo.

* We humans should take better care of our lovely planet...

Movie Moments: Almost Famous

The thing about screenwriting is, you have to watch good movies -- study good movies -- to write good movies. So last night, I decided to remind myself of story structure and character "wants" by picking a film to watch. Almost Famous was the perfect selection.

The film is screenwriting gold*,  which was recognized by The Academy in 2001, winning Cameron Crowe (Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky) an Oscar for best original screenplay. The movie would also make a great film to analyze for a gender politics of rock and roll study, but that's an essay for another time...

Here's one of my favorite scenes. Hope you enjoy too.

After this, I will never hear "Tiny Dancer" the same way ever again and I don't mind one bit.

* The airplane scene? Talk about a great situation for character interaction...

Gnocchi au Gratin

I've definitely been missing New York this summer, chiefly my friends, public transportation (crazy, yes, I miss MTA), and limited-release movies. However, one of the benefits of being at home is having counter space in the kitchen -- and air conditioning. So, I took it upon myself to make some gnocchi last week. Also missing my past summer job as a restaurant reviewer/food photographer, I decided to document the process.

I started off with this recipe, then improvised a bit. It all took about 2.5 hours, but the steps aren't difficult. So, you know, it's cool, just takes a while.

By the way, this isn't a food blog, but I love food. I secretly (well not so secret anymore) aspire to run a food truck someday. More on that another time, maybe, but without further ado, my favorite comfort food:



Gnocchi au Gratin

You'll need:
- 1 pound russet potatoes
- 4 egg yolks 
- 3/4 cup fresh Parmesan
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- seasonings to taste


1. Start off with 1 pound of russet potatoes, about 3 medium sized spuds. Spuds is a strange sounding word. Bake at 425˚ F for about an hour over a thin layer of coarse salt. Then, when the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off. (I ate them for lunch  along with an English muffin and the egg whites leftover from step 4.)

2. Grate the potatoes until you have about two cups.

3. Transfer potatoes to work surface and form mound with well in center.

4. Add four egg yolks, 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper to make a nest.

5. Combine, distributing ingredients throughout the mixture.

6.  Little by little, fold 1 cup flour into the potato-egg blend. When well incorporated, cut into four sections. 

7. Roll each section into 1/2 inch diameter ropes on floured surface.

8. Cut ropes into 1/2 inch pieces. If you want, you can put indentations on the top of the gnocchi with a fork to help hold pasta sauce. 

9. Arrange gnocchi on parchment paper in front of fan and let rest for 30 mins, turning gnocchi after 15 mins.

10. Boil a pot of water. Drop gnocchi in.

After the dumplings rise to the top of the pot, cook for 90 additional seconds. Then, scoop them out with a skimmer and remove excess water.

11. Voila!

12. Now for the "au gratin" part. Pour 3/4 cup heavy cream onto the gnocchi. Season with whatever you'd like. I chose a pinch of ginger, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan, and top with breadcrumbs. Bake for 20-30 mins or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.

13. And there you have it! 

Introduction

Hi,

Welcome to After 1220. 

I figured the first post here should be some sort of introduction, but what that looks like, I'm not sure. 

1220 was the last dorm room I lived in at college. 

The view from 1220

I laughed a lot in 1220; I learned a lot in 1220; I watched a lot of Gossip Girl in 1220;  I cried a lot, a lot in 1220. 

But I also grew up a lot in 1220, learning more of love and compassion and forgiveness and such.

1220 has come and gone; my year there is over, but certainly not forgotten, and now, whether I want to or not, whether I'm ready or not,  I'm moving on.  I suppose though that I am ready, because I am moving on. 

I guess what I'd like to say is thank you. Thank you to everyone who was a part of that year, everyone who sang with me, cooked with me, cleaned with me, danced to "Love on Top" with me. Everyone who debated social issues with me and listened to my monologues. Everyone who let me introduce them to Friday Night Lights and let me pray with them, and who prayed for me. Everyone who inspired me to be a better person. Everyone who got me through 1220. I couldn't thank you enough, and I look forward to our paths crossing again, after 1220.

Averi