In other news...
Busy Building the New Gluten-Free Kitchen
Next, I personally apologize for not being very active here on the Gluten-Free Blog in the past month or so, as I have been busy with home-remodeling activities during our first Winter at our new house -- I have tried to create what is the near-term vision of our "perfect kitchen" for baking all those wonderful wheat-free and gluten-free delights. (this may remain the long-term vision too, as I don't think I can do this again)
I believe that after this round of work, the new gluten-free kitchen is complete after a few months of hard work -- removing/lowering a large wall, building a new counter-top in its place, refinishing what turned out to be beautiful cabinets once I finished stripping the paint from them and sanding, staining, and re-varnishing all of the doors (ughgh!). But, in the end, it is hopefully worth all the effort.
Here is one view:
We wanted a very OPEN kitchen, with plenty of counter-space and preparation area, with baking and cooking pans and utensils close at hand (there is a pot-hanger above the stove; though it does not show in the picture. In addition, we wanted to be able to entertain and immerse ourselves in the action and conversation even as we prepared meals, snacks, and desserts for our guests. We also like to demonstrate our gluten-free cooking techniques to those that wish to observe, and this new kitchen makes all of that possible in a way no other kitchen could.
From the kitchen, we can now see people entering the house (over the stove -- it is a clear view to the entry way) and then continue to interact with guests as they work their way throughout the living room and dining room areas too. There is a large fireplace in the middle of it all (though, we have yet to use it) that we have considered converting into a "brick oven" instead. Aside from the fireplace in the middle of the room, it is all wide open.
Finally, we also wanted to enjoy the view of the outdoors from our kitchen. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen working on recipes (gluten-free desserts and many other GF items), and the existing kitchen blocked the view considerably : no longer the case! Now we can bake as we take in the scenery of the surrounding valley here in Eastern Ohio. Even in the Winter time, the new design is marvelous at getting ample natural light into the kitchen.
GF Recipes Emerging from the New Kitchen
The kitchen is getting quite a bit of use, and it has yielded some new recipes and variations that we plan to post on our Free Gluten-Free Recipes Library when we get time. My wife has recently come up with a very nice crispy thin-crust gluten-free pizza crust recipe that I am quite a fan of : that is the first recipe I need to get online when I have time. It is not dairy-free though (it uses whey-protein in it), but if you can consume a bit of dairy, you will enjoy the crispy crunchy crust that holds up when loaded down with cheese and sauces -- it does not just fall apart or crack when you pick it up, but stays quite nice and crispy.
I will *try* to get that recipe up here in a few more weeks. I still have another project that is being wrapped up, including taking care of book supplies. But, I will get the recipe posted. Thanks for patience.
Source: http://gluten-free-blog.blogspot.com/2010/03/gluten-free-desserts-books-temporarily.html
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