The Common Man

**UPDATE: The Common Man restaurants DO have a printed gluten free menu - just ask your server, and yes! they have Redbridge!


If any of you live in New Hampshire, I'm pretty sure you've heard of the Common Man restaurants. I love them. Especially in the winter. It's so cozy in there. There's always a huge fire roaring and I love the atmosphere (there are a few of them in NH, and they're converted barns).

Anyway - I was waiting for my husband last night while he was at a meeting and he dropped me off at the Common Man Windham because I had to do a few hours of work & needed wi-fi. Got a great little table in the bar overlooking the fire, ordered a glass of wine & got to work.


On a whim I asked if they had Redbridge - which THEY DID. So then I got one of those! I wish I had asked first, oh well. Then I got an order of their homemade potato chips - YUM. I don't think they have an actual printed gluten free menu, but when I'm there I usually get a steak & baked potato so I'm usually good, but next time I will definitely ask.

I so love it there.

Actually - the Common Man Inn up in Plymouth, NH is where we got engaged :)

Gluten Free Shepherd's Pie.

It's been coooooold lately here in the northeast and all I want to eat is comfort food. I hadn't made Shepherd's Pie, um, ever? --- so I decided to go for it. I quickly found one of Rachel Ray's 30 minute meal recipes here -- and let me tell you, this is GOOD.

I made a few modifications to the recipe - but the way this recipe is set up is quick & easy and it really tastes delicious. I almost doubled the amount of mashed potatoes on top because they're my favorite. I also added some celery and finished off the top with a little cheese, nixed the parsley and did not include an egg in the potatoes. I also cooked the carrot/onion/celery a little bit longer so it would soften a bit more.

Have I ever mentioned how much me & my husband eat? Evidence:

Sandwich while working...

Oh Udi's. You're so great, and you really are living up to your ad campaign, "We're Bringing Sandwich Back" - because for me, you really are. Ooh, and did you all enter to win Udi's bread for a year?!?! If not, do so here.

Side story --- I work in a pretty big ad agency and sit close to the catering women who organize all of our fabulous parties/events/meetings. They now know I'm gluten free because DAILY they come around with extra sandwiches, muffins, donuts, cookies, etc from meetings and I say NO every time –– unless it's chips, or ice cream - the latter is pretty rare though. They finally asked and I explained i was GF.

Anyway - they had a request for a meeting last week with someone who was GF, and I was all over it - I picked up a few bags of UDI's for them to have out at the meeting, and they did a meat & cheese platter, fruit, chips, etc to have out, along with regular bread in a separate basket to make your own sandwich. Apparently it was a big hit (OBVI) but I would have loved to have been in that lunch meeting & seen that woman's face when Udi's bread was in front of her!

Thanksgiving

I PIGGED OUT on Thanksgiving. I am not lying, here is the evidence (my plate):

I know, it was a lot of food. And I had seconds a few hours later. yikes. Anyway ---- We went for the traditional Thanksgiving this year. Nothing too fancy or out of the ordinary, just the classics. It was awesome. Mashed potatoes, green beans amandine, TURKEY of course, we made gluten free gravy with Better Batter all purpose flour mix, mashed sweeet potatoes with marshmallows on top (which we left under the broiler just a half a minute too long, so it was a little burnt - but delicious), and of course - STUFFING.

UDI's GF STUFFING.

Seriously - pre-gluten free days I could've cared less about stuffing. Weird right? Same goes for bread baskets on the dinner table and even pizza. Pre-GF, those were not things I cared about, and then, sure enough, I can't have 'em, and I want them!

Here's how we made our stuffing:

One loaf of Udi's GF bread cut into cubes & toasted in the oven.


We chopped up some fresh sage, and some thyme:


With a generous helping of butter, onion & celery:


Added the toasted bread, into the AMAZING-smelling mixture, with some chicken broth. Side note: did you know Progresso chix broth is gluten free? I didn't till I looked at the box!


Here it is after being well mixed (YUUUM):


And after we warmed it in the oven before serving... I'm seriously drooling looking at all the pictures again. I'm definitely making stuffing again soon, not just this once-a-year business.


My sister & I divvied up the leftovers -- I tried to make a lot so it would last us at least a few days -- and mine were gone by the Tuesday after. It was a lot of good eating, I could barely eat the gluten free pumpkin pie that I bought (which wasn't great anyway).

You'd think after a day of massive eating, I'd go super healthy & detox for a few days after, yeah, I don't think so. The next morning we broke out the GF Bisquick:

Dinner Party

A couple of weeks ago I had my four of my best girlfriends over for dinner.... We were celebrating the approaching birthday of one, another's adorable baby who is now 3 months old, and the other two were visiting from not-too-far-away, but still too far to see them all the time.

I love when the girls come over for dinner. It gives me an excuse to pull out as many wedding gifts as possible, and make everything a little fancy because you KNOW the girls will enjoy it, whereas the boys could really care less.

I found this adorable birch centerpiece to put a vase of flowers in, and I pulled out my linen table runner, and my multi-colored clothes napkins and set to cooking.

To start we had some cheese & crackers and some delicious lamb chops in a cranberry chutney with port (recipe here). Sounds heavy, but it was just a bite, and they were SO good. Of course there was red wine - ooh, and another wedding gift, this fabulous pitcher from C+B filled with lemony water.


We tried not to fill up too much - as dinner included the following:

- Brusell sprouts with smoked uncured bacon that I splurged on at whole foods.
- Food & Wine's Creamy Polenta with a Wild Mushroom Ragu - made with marscapone, yum, it only called for 1 tbsp, but we added more.
- Petite filets (another splurge from whole foods) that I marinated in red wine, evoo, garlic & salt & pepper, then cooked on the grill
- GF Rosemary & Thyme Against the Grain baguette, toasted (also regular baguette, as I am the only one GF)

DELICIOUS.

There was dessert too, but I didn't take any pics! I'm so bad with remembering to take pictures.

The company, food & wine were all perfection. I love girls nights.

turkey day is tomorrow...

I have been so busy at work I haven't had time to blog about the fabulous girls dinner party last weekend and the amazing meal we made, or the yummy shepherd's pie I made the other night, but I will! Later this weekend ;)

I'll try to take some pics during our Thanksgiving feast as we have some delicious GF items we will be making --- I'm sure you all do too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Quick & Easy Chicken Soup

My husband has been sick a couple times this fall already (knock on wood, NOT ME!) and he loves when I make him this chicken soup. I change it up everytime based on what I feel like adding, or what's in my house, etc.

My local grocer sells these rotisserie chickens for $3.99 which is such a fab deal - and I usually put most in the soup, and then can save the rest for whatever (sandwiches, chicken salad, etc)

Here's how I do my soup:

One swirl of EVOO in a large pot, then throw in cut up carrots, celery, onion. Let those soften for a bit, then throw in a can of no salt added tomatoes diced or crushed, whatever you like. Then add in chicken stock, crushed red pepper (husband loves spice, and even more when he's sick), parsnips, fresh thyme, crushed black pepper, a spoonful of Dijon mustard (I know, weird right? but a good addition!) I then let this boil & cook for a while till the parsnips are soft. Then I shred the chicken off the bone & throw that in, and sometimes throw in some cannellini beans, or a little GF pasta, or some rice -- whatever you feel like! I love that about soup! Just be sure if you're adding rice or pasta to have more liquid than you would think to add.

Then serve! I usually sprinkle a little parm or pecorino on top. Perfect for a cold dreary night, which is exactly what we're getting tonight in the northeast!