Miss Communication

The title of this column might as well be my new moniker. I've been guilty of this before, and I'm sure will be again at some point. I struggle with technology: just ask Dennis! I got a new iPhone recently and it took days to get my email accounts back up and running. We haven't yet recovered all my texting history.

Dennis will get after me: "Did you update your phone?" Of course, I'm rarely aware there are updates available. Now I'm not sure if it was him or me that allowed automatic updates, but I think one of those caused my emails to the Courier to revert to an old address they no longer use. I guess I'm not smarter than my phone. But I'm trying!

There have been instances in the past where there was so much content for the paper that my musing weren't printed. So when I wasn't published the first week, I chalked it up to that. I wrote another, with a note to print the previous one that week, and this the next. We were going on a trip and I wouldn't be writing then. So neither of those were printed. Miffed, I sat out a week, then wrote again. Again, none were used. It should have dawned on me that Michelle was always good at acknowledging my submissions, but she hadn't recently.

Our daughter figured it out when I wrote a blurb about the Veterans Day program in Opheim, along with a photo. Michelle didn't receive it, so Gwendolyne asked I send it to her. Boom, she saw the bad address. Turns out Michelle just thought I'd been super busy (and I was, off and on) and she didn't want to bug me. I've now deleted the old, bad address from my phone, so we should be back in business. And we will communicate better.

My youngest sister was recently diagnosed with celiac disease, so she's learning new ways to cook that won't make her sick. She's sharing some of her recipes with me. I've tested this one (why should I believe my baby sister, right?) and it really is quite good. I used it as the crust for a quiche, as she did, rather than for a pie.

Gluten-free Pie Crust

3 Tbl ice water

1 1/2 Tbl sour cream

1 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

3/4 + 2/3 C gluten-free all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp xantham gum

8 Tbl unsalted butter, cut in 1/4" pieces

Combine first three ingredients in a bowl. Process the next four until combined, 5 seconds. Scatter butter on top and pulse until crumbs look uniform, 20-30 pulses. Pour sour cream mix on top and pulse until dough comes together in large pieces around the blade. Turn dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 5" disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least one hour, up to two days. Before rolling dough, let sit on the counter to soften slightly, about 30 minutes. Do NOT freeze dough.

My sister said she used apple cider vinegar as she didn't have the rice wine variety. I did have to sprinkle cold water atop my dough to get it to stick together for rolling. I'd left it in the fridge the full two days. And you do have to plan ahead better than I usually do. I used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Here's a list of substitutes for the xantham gum:

1. Chia seeds: use 2 parts hot water to 1 part seeds. Stir until liquid is viscous. Use in a 1:1 ratio. You may need to add 10-15 minutes baking time.

2. Flax seed meal: 1 part meal to 2 parts water. Use in a 1:1 ratio. (I used this.)

3. Cornstarch: use as is in a 1:1 ratio.

4. Unflavored gelatin: 2 parts gelatin = 1 part xantham gum.

5. Egg whites: 1 egg white = 1 Tbl xantham gum

I based my quiche on this recipe:

Love & Quiches,

Tomato Herb Quiche

1 9" pie crust

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 egg, beaten

5 very thin slices sweet onion

1/4 C + 1 Tbl EVOO

1 C (4 oz) mozzarella, shredded

2 C loosely packed basil leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 clove garlic, halved

4 eggs

1/2 C half-&-half

1/2 C ricotta cheese

1/2 C + 1 Tbl freshly grated Parmesan, divided

6-8 thin slices tomato

Brush edges and base of crust with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350°, let crust cool while prepping filling.

Sauté onion in 1 Tbl oil, medium heat. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Blend together 1/4 C oil, basil, salt, pepper, & garlic on high until smooth. Beat eggs in large bowl, medium speed, until foamy. Reduce speed to low, add half-&-half, ricotta, and 1/2 C Parmesan, beat until well blended. Add basil mix slowly, blending well. Pour over mozzarella in crust. Bake at 350° 20 minutes. Remove from oven, top with tomato slices. Bake 30 minutes or until center is firm. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Serve hot, warm, or cold. Refrigerate leftovers.

I used sliced provolone and feta cheeses instead of the mozzarella. I layered the provolone on the warm crust, and sprinkled crumbled feta atop that. I subbed in fresh baby spinach for the basil, but did add about a tablespoon of dried basil to the egg mix. I roughly chopped the spinach rather than blend it. I didn't want the egg mix to turn fully green. Instead of half-&-half, I used almond milk, and plain Greek yogurt instead of ricotta. I grated Romano/parmesan instead of plain Parmesan. I'm sure I used more than one garlic clove as well. Leftovers heat up beautifully in the microwave.