Laura

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it today, and happy Thursday to those who don't.

And for anyone who is having a rough time of whatever type, I send caring and hope it gets better in whatever way it can.

Meanwhile, I share a brief and silly story to brighten your day. We are having Thanksgiving dinner at home, and I don't normally cook a Thanksgiving dinner - let alone a full turkey. But as I was able to get a free one at the store while buying what I would have anyway, I am in fact cooking a whole turkey. Plus miscellaneous sides and so on, though at this stage there's very little left to be done other than application of heat and some mixing for some of them.

But! I was planning out tucking the roasting pan and the sheet pan the rolls will be on back in the oven to cool (so they won't be on the counter when I need that counter space!) later on. At the same time I was getting a kid some microwave pasta because it's hours yet until the feast and he was hungry now.

So I put on the oven gloves to take the bowl from the microwave (four minutes makes for a very hot glass bowl, and I prefer not to burn my hands), moved it to the hot pad I'd set out, turned back to close the microwave door, and - because I'd been thinking about returning things to the oven which is right next to the microwave - very nearly took the gloves off and tucked them in the microwave.

I'd have had a right hard time finding THOSE when I next needed them! Fortunately they are back where they are supposed to be, so I don't have to use a clumsier oven mitt to get the turkey out later, only to find what I needed a bit after when I microwave the peas.

Speaking of clam chowder, this recipe gets lazier every time I make it, to good effect so far. Here is the current incarnation:

New England Clam Chowder
( Serves 6 to 8 )

Mmmmmmmm. Clam Chowder (Jake's, from a can...so sue me) was always among my favorite things growing up. YUM. And...then I had to go lactose-free. Clam Chowder generally doesn't work with that. And then I went low-FODMAP...onions, celery...oops.

So. Today I have GLORIOUS clam chowder, richer than what I was used to, but in a very good way.
I started with https://fructosefreeme.com/tag/clam-chowder/ and made the following changes:

• Substitute Earth's Balance one-to-one for butter
• Substitute lactose-free whole milk one-to-one for cream
• Completely omit celery
• Use only 1.5 turnips (because shredding turnips is a pain...)
• Substitute 1/2 tsp dried thyme (because I had it)
• Substitute 3 ounces of chopped cooked bacon intended for topping salads (because I'm lazy)

And thus, add the bacon/Earth's balance/turnip all at once initially and cook for 8-10 minutes, then move on with the recipe.

Oh MAN is it good. Ian liked it so much he asked for seconds. Scott and Andrew had taquitos, but I expected that.

I haven't had KFC chicken in so long I can't actually comment how close this comes!

But since the "secret" recipe was splashed all over the press - whether it's accurate or not - I figured I'd adapt it to be low FODMAP suitable for my diet. It's yummy, whether it's accurate or not.

Half this recipe is sufficient for 12-13 chicken drumsticks (4+ pounds). You'll see in a moment why I didn't halve it, however... I might triple back to the original and just store it for use when I want some! O.o It'd be easier. (And anything that references 1/3 tsp or 2/3 tsp, I was totally estimating with sorta-heaping 1/4's....)

2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour (I suspect a plain rice flour would work fine here also)
2/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tps basil
1/3 tsp oregano
1 tsp celery salt (the level of celery exposure here should be low enough to be fine)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried mustard
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp white pepper (yes, you really really need the white pepper)

The original also had garlic salt - I omitted and drizzled a little garlic-infused olive oil over some pieces and ate other pieces as was. I'll be honest, it's fine either way, so I'd skip the garlic-infused olive oil (that way, you don't have to try not to accidentally put too much on a piece). If you tolerate garlic well, add 2 tsp garlic salt to the recipe to get closer to the original, but at that point the only substitution is the gluten free flour

Pat the chicken legs dry. Coat lightly in the mixture (probably a shaking bag would be easiest, but rub it on, dip it, whatever method you prefer). Lay out on an oiled baking pan. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, flip, and give it another 30 minutes or so, until well cooked / internal temperature of 160 (if you like to use a meat thermometer; I'm lazy about that).

This is adapted from this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cabbage-and-potato-bake-recipe.html

It was adapted to use what I had in my CSA share, and also to be low-FODMAP. Sourcing notes for products I used at the end.

( my recipe )

Verdict: I like this. It's a little mild, so if you want a stronger flavor you may have to adjust it, but I'm pretty pleased. Just finished it and Scott's not home with the boys yet, so I don't have the family verdict.

This...turned out really nice. And for those who don't know, most vegetable broths do not work well with low-FODMAP (celery is a minor issue, garlic and onion a bigger one), and the white part of leeks is also a no-go. (Which also makes this thing a lovely mid-green, more pea-soup in appearance than potato-leek.)

1/4 cup? olive oil, divided*
2 cups chopped leek parts (dark green leaves only)**
5-3/4 cup water and some salt, and a little bit of garlic-infused olive oil (1/2 tsp?)***
2 pounds potatoes, cut in cubes****
3/8 tsp cayenne pepper*****
some salt

Get your pot, put it over medium heat. When it's heated up, add some of the oil and the leek parts. Cook until they're tender, you're bored, or both - about ten minutes. Add oil as needed.

Pour in the water mix and add the potatoes. Bring it back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let simmer for about 25 minutes. (I actually arguably boiled it for 20 of those minutes, because hi, not paying enough attention. Worked fine. Anecdotally.)

Put mix in blender and puree until fine; you don't want to fill the blender more than about half full, so this will take more than one cycle. Once it's all pureed, stir the cayenne pepper and additional salt in, tasting as you go and adjusting as needed. Make sure you stir well.

Careful with this one. It's a lovely, mild potato taste with just a little bit of onion/leek flavor to it. It's really very mild and calm. And just as you're realizing that it's friendly and tasty, the after-burners kick in. It's _nothing_ like a serious pepper and it won't threaten your taste buds' existence. But it can and probably will startle you. (I warned Scott and it still startled him. This soup has a serious second personality.)

* I didn't bother to measure this. I just put some in, and added when it seemed to need it.

** Just shy of two leeks in the case of the ones I had; if FODMAPs is not a concern, substitute two leeks here, it's easier.

*** Probably 1-2 tsp salt, but I just dropped it in. If FODMAPs aren't a concern, use 4 cups of vegetable broth and 1-3/4 cup water.

**** I left the skin on, and it worked fine.

***** I will be doing 1/4 tsp at most next time. Uff da. But I am a wimp.

So, I love Qdoba's pulled pork. And honestly I tolerate it pretty well. But I confess to a desire to make it at home, and why would I _not_ convert it closer to low FODMAP?

So, I got the recipe I started with here: http://qdobaathome.blogspot.com/2013/04/pulled-pork.html

And I did this:

3 pounds pork*
1 bunch green onions, green portion, chopped
1-2 Poblano chilies, cut into thin strips
2 Jalapeños, seeded and minced
0-2 Anaheim or Hatch green chilies, cut into thin strips**
2 cups tomatillos, husked, cut into large chunks***
garlic-infused olive oil (maybe 2-3 tsp?)
2-2.5 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Wash and cut onions, tomatillos, and peppers. Place in bottom of crock pot. Place pork on top of vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic-infused oil.

Turn crock pot on low and cook for a minimum of six hours. (Per the original recipe, if your crock pot has a high setting you can cook on high for the first two hours, but don't leave on high too long as pork will become tough.)

After six hours, shred pork with tongs or forks, removing any fat prior to shredding.

* I used carnitas; pork chops and shoulder roast have both reportedly worked for others.

** I totally omitted these, I liked the milder flavor.

*** Hahaha I misremembered and only used 2 tomatillos, this would be much better.

...so so so SO good.

So far, I can have wheat but not too much wheat, things flavored with garlic/onion (but probably not too much garlic/onion - have no desire to try something with whole roasted cloves!), and apparently one apple is fine. Honestly, I really appreciate this. Small to medium amounts of sugar/candy/honey appear okay too.

Potato chips are fine: not surprising, since all the ingredients are fine. But corn chips are NOT fine, and so I'm being cautious about corn. I do need to reintroduce it some time, but...caution.

Tonight, I had spaghetti (regular spaghetti!) with sauce (regular sauce!) and a small slice of raspberry pie. That's pushing it on the wheat, but I think it'll be okay.

This afternoon, we went to Mod Pizza, and I got a salad, which actually was quite tasty and didn't have _anything_ I can't freely have, so no worries on that front.

...I'm fairly pleased, actually.

Went to Easter dinner at Uncle John & Aunt Julia's. I'm on call for work, as a back-up, but they have good wifi and aren't too far away, so I figured no big deal. I was right - especially since I didn't get called at all. Yay for not being needed right then! :)

It was a lovely meal, and the fruit and dip I brought got positive comments. (Mostly the dip: it was basic, but I served it in hollowed-out pineapples. I found that on the internet, which is why I had to bring fruit and dip, because seriously that's awesome.) There was a bunny race (of little pull-back-and-they-run bunny cars) and the boys got to run around and play (MOSTLY in approved ways, Ian had a couple moments where he was a bit too wild and got picked up by a parent to calm down).

The food was lovely, the company was more-so, and the weather was glorious - cloudy but bright, dry, and cool but not cold. After we finished dinner and the games and were about to clean up, the clouds grew more ominous, so the deck was cleared first. 15 minutes later it was raining and shortly after it was storming, with pouring rain.

So, a lovely Easter; the forecast weather held off until it was a welcome glory to watch, rather than something to be overcome.

Oh man I am stuffed. Happily. The kids mostly ate the rice (Drew) and olives/pineapple (Ian), but both tried the chicken, and Ian at least said 'yum' and liked the spicing. Scott and I loved it.

( Recipe, in case anyone wants it )

And enough leftovers for me to have a couple lunches this week from it (one wrap in a tortilla - yes, I'm weird - and one salad with a side of the dish cold), plus probably another meal's worth of rice (for Drew) and meat/sauce/whatever (for Scott and I, with olives for the boys).

...yes, really, it went that fast. Inhale-worthy. Though if I weren't cooking for the boys, I'd be really tempted to omit the black olives. They don't hurt the flavor, but they're not adding much ... except for making the small ones even try the meal. Which is a lot. (And no one even noticed the onion in the end result, which is IMO the way onion should be - adding to the whole and keeping quiet about it. :)