'Calzones' and an Artichoke

Matt and I decided to try and make 'calzones' the other night. We kind of just went for it which, may have been a poor choice but oh well. This one falls under the 'mishap' category.

First we made the dough with brown rice flour, an egg, and some cold water. I don't have a rolling pin but I always have an extra bottle of wine. Put parchment paper on the dough and roll away!



We threw in our favorite toppings: marinara sauce, mushrooms, onions, red pepper, zucchini, Italian sausage and some Daiya cheese.



Folding them up was tricky and they're not pretty but, it's our first try.



Sprinkled with polenta.



Bake for an hour at 350 and watch old office episodes in the mean time. This is the finished product.



Throw some sauce over it and you're done. Honestly, the dough was crappy. We should have made it in advance, with yeast, and let it rise because it tasted just how it looks, like cardboard. I ate the ingredients out of the middle and was done. Nice try!



Our side dish/dessert was an artichoke. Ooooh artichokes, I love you. I eat them as often as possible and with the giant ones now at the farmer market I now also eat large quantities. So here's how to do it.

-Cut the stem off the bottom and then cut some of the top off so steam can get in and cook it through. You'll need you're best serrated knife. It's beautiful!



I use my fantastic garage-sale-find mini Black & Decker steamer but I've also used a pan with 1.5 inches of water in the bottom, cover, and put the stove on med-high. Put the artichoke in face down and put the timer on for an hour either way. If using a pan periodically check to see that there is still water in the pan or you'll have a burnt pan and a burnt artichoke.



The artichoke is done when you can pick an outside leaf and scrape meat off half of it with your teeth. Serve with two bowels, one for waste and the sauce of your choice. When you peel off all the green leaves, and the purple/white leaves, and are left with a furry mistery, use a fork to scrape off the top layer of 'furry-ness.' Whatever is left is the soft heart and is all edible. Dip into some sauce and eat up!

Sauces:
-Melted butter and minced garlic
-Ketchup and mayo

YUM!

If you don't pick an artichoke off the plant when it's ready to eat, it turns into this awesome purple flower. I want a garden of artichokes!

More great Ohio Eats!

In Columbus, Matt took me to the North Market. An awesome indoor market. We picked up some excellent lunch and fun finds!



FOOD!





Raviolis!



Vietnamese



Pho! The best allergy-free hangover cure! So glad I can eat chili pepper now.



MMM!



Jenis ice cream! Great flavors like: goat cheese and cherries, rhubarb, lime and cardamom, and whiskey and pecans.



Their dairy-free sorbettos were great: riesling poached pear and cherry lambic. Wasn't sure how to feel about it at first but I wish I could have it every day!



Matt had some sort of meaty sandwich.



He seemed to like it just fine.



I picked up some specialty finds: smoked paprika and saffron. Not super cheap but fun to get here. Can't wait for paella!



Out to HAIKU! Matt's brother Jeromy was our server. Rated on allergyeats.com. I asked for a drink that matched my hair :)

Per recommendation after the allergy conversation, I had LakasaAyam Vermicelli Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables in Rich Curry Sauce. Fun to have a white sauce (coconut milk). It was fabulous.

Not entirely sure what my friends had but it all looked fantastic!

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Spicy Beef Broth with Rice Noodles and Beef

General Tso Battered Chicken Tossed in a Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce

YUM!



What a great night!

Ohio Eats!

Matt and I headed to Ohio for a week-long vacation. Matt is from Ohio so we met up with his friends and family. First we hit up Mt. Vernon with his friends and then headed into Columbus to meet up with his brother. After a couple nights of partying in town, we headed back to Mt. Vernon and had adventures: in the pond behind Matt's house, Warrior Dash in Logan, OH, and Cedar Point Amusement Park. Here's some of the food I hit up on vacation.

This is how to start vacation: a margarita at Fiesta Mexicana in Mt. Vernon, OH.



Matt's brother lives in the Short North area of Columbus (the best). Veggie chili and fritos appetizer at Surly Girl in Columbus, OH. I rated the restaurant at allergyeats.com.



Chili nachos that Matt and his brother had, lots of jalapenos.



My favorite at Surly Girl was the pulled pork tacos with mandarin orange slaw. MMMM!



Matt had a spicy peanut butter and banana sandwich with chocolate milk and marshmallows on the side (yes it's an entree on the menu). They're all shook up! These were so good we came back for the same thing the next day!



Late night fries with whiskey and midori at the Rossi. The fries were delicious, well done. Not much allergy worries here.







My victory after defeating Cedar Point.



Cutesy Mexican place, Casa Fiesta in Sandusky, OH rated on allergyeats.



Sizzling fajitas for dinner!



Sizzlin!



This is how vacation started, this is how it ends. Margarita at Pappasitos in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. They had the BEST allergy service and I rated them on allergyeats.com.



Most of these places did an IMPRESSIVE job catering to my food allergies. Glad to know I can survive traveling.