I took this photograph of a neighbor's child from Halloween Past. She, her twin brother, and two other neighbors' children dressed up as the rock band Kiss. It was back in the day when MoonPie and I lived in a neighborhood filled with young children. Although we didn't have any children living at home we would "spookify" the yard and fill a huge cauldron with candy that was always depleted by the end of the night. The adults in our neighborhood sat at the end of our driveways in lawn chairs doling out candy, laughing, talking, and sometimes sharing adult beverages with each other if Halloween fell on a weekend. There was loads of anticipation since the children (and their parents) had friendly competitions to come up with the "best" costumes of the night.
Before a new season of Top Chef and Housewives of Somewhere I Can't Afford suck me in I decided to review the books I've read in the past few weeks. These aren't new books so you may have read them, too. (If so, let's talk!)
The only one I disliked was, of course, the only one I purchased. Since I had invested money in it I felt like I had to finish it. If I had checked it out from the library like all the others, I would have quit in the middle and moved on to the next book guilt-free. (I wonder how many divorced couples wish they could have checked their spouse out from the library instead of ...nevermind.)
Moving on to the reviews:
I was looking through photos that I had taken, but never posted. One of those was of Sylvan's Jewelers at 1500 Main Street in Columbia, SC.
In 1890, brothers Gustaf (Gus) Jonson, a watchmaker, and Johannes (Joe) Bengtson Sylvan, a jeweler, left their home in Sweden to seek their fortune in America. They booked passage to the port city of Savannah, Georgia and both found work there.
After that the brothers split up. In 1897 Gus opened a business in Columbia, SC. Joe joined him in 1898. In 1905, the brothers acquired a Second Empire style building on the corner of Main and Hampton Streets, the first large building constructed in Columbia after the Civil War.
They opened at the new location on June 24, 1905, where Sylvan's Jewelers is still headquartered today. In 1906, the brothers installed a beautiful four-sided clock on the sidewalk in front of the store, now a beloved local landmark.
You can learn more about the history of this location here.
Recently I saw a recipe circulating on Facebook for a Butterfinger Pie with the above photo. It made my mouth water. I have no idea where the recipe or the photo originated because there wasn't a link to a website, but it was all I could think about for days. It only had three ingredients for the filling so I figured I couldn't screw it up. But could I make a gluten-free version?
An internet search revealed that the original Butterfinger candy bars (including fun-size) were gluten-free. (Some Butterfinger bars including the Giant Butterfinger bars are not so this needs to be taken into consideration if GF is your goal.) I already knew that Cool Whip and cream cheese are gluten-free. Obstacle 1 was out of the way.
In the Facebook photo the pie appears to have a chocolate crumb crust. Sounds delicious, but not worth tracking down a bag of gluten-free Oreo knock offs and making one from scratch. Luckily I happened to have a gluten-free "graham style" crust in my pantry just waiting for something wonderful to happen to it. Obstacle 2 was out of the way. It was game on.
Appetizers have always befuddled me. I could never figure out what to take to parties that would be easy to fix, gluten-free, and not require keeping warm. I also want an appetizer to at least look like I spent a bit of time making it without actually spending the time.
Last night at a neighborhood tailgating party I turned again to this tried-and-true favorite. This recipe hits the mark especially if you are -- *ahem*-- not a particularly motivated cook. The finished dip tastes like you've gone to a whole lot of trouble when in fact it can be put together in about 10 minutes. The only time involved is softening the cream cheese to make it spreadable so plan ahead for that.
Easy directions:
Take a block of softened cream cheese and spread it into the bottom of a 1-quart serving dish. I use a pretty glass 9-inch deep dish pie pan, but any similar size container will work. (I think a regular pie pan may be too shallow).
Next spread a 16-oz jar of spicy black bean dip on top of the cream cheese. I use Desert Trading Company Spicy Black Bean Dip because it's gluten-free and the original recipe said they tested with this brand. Any brand you like would be fine, but be sure it's gluten-free if that's your goal.
Here's the part that I discovered on my own. Take it and pop it in your microwave for about 15 seconds to soften the cream cheese a bit more. You're not trying to get it hot and runny, just a little more "dip-able" to avoid the broken chip misfortune. I nuked it for 15 seconds, checked it, and then nuked it for 10 more seconds. Microwaves vary so you may want to do this in 10 second intervals. I knew it was perfect when the bottom of the dish felt warm.
Next you just start layering. I put almost a whole 8-oz bag of finely shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend all over the top. You can use more or less depending on the size of your dish. The object is to cover the top. If you want more, go for it. Life is short. (This probably would be a good dish with melted cheese if you are serving it immediately, but I've found that when melted cheese cools it's hard to dip. If you want a hot dip then feel free to add the cheese prior to microwaving and nuke it until it's hot and melted.)
Next put fresh Pico de Gallo all over the top.
Cheater Tip: I use an 8-oz carton of Del Monte Pico de Gallo that is found fresh in the produce section. It has chopped tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapenos, lime juice, and sea salt (no preservatives). Any Pico would do, but only use fresh. You can make your own Pico if you're not as lazy as me. Also, be sure the juice is drained. You don't want juice soaking into your cheese.
Lastly, drain a 2.25 can of sliced black olives and sprinkle evenly across the top.
That's it! A no- fuss appetizer in about 10 minutes that looks and tastes like you spent a ton of time on it. I serve it with corn tortilla chips for dipping. (If you need it to be gluten-free, be sure that the chips you use are also gluten-free. I tend to use Tostitos Scoops because I like them, but there are plenty of other gluten-free options including Fritos Corn Chips.)
*NOTE: If you are making this for a gluten-free guest it is important that non-gluten free chips do not share this dip. If they do, the entire dish is no longer safe. I always put this dip and the gluten-free chips in a separate serving area from other foods containing gluten.
Layered Spicy Black Bean Dip (Gluten-Free)
- 1 (8-oz) block cream cheese (softened)
- 1 (16-oz) jar spicy black bean dip
- 3/4 or more (8-oz) package finely shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 (8-oz) container fresh Pico de Gallo (drained)
- 1 (2.25) can sliced black olives (drained)
Spread softened cream cheese in the bottom of a 1 quart serving dish. (I found a 9-in glass deep-dish pie pan is a perfect size.) Spread the bean dip on top of the cream cheese layer. Nuke it for 15-25 seconds to be sure the cream cheese will be easy to dip. Add rest of the ingredients in the order listed.
I found the basic recipe and above photo in Southern Living's The Official SEC Tailgating Cookbook. (Link here.) The original recipe is also found online here.
You can read about our family's food challenges here.
See that little one up there? She's five. She doesn't read fashion magazines, watch television reality shows, keep up with celebrities, have teen idols, or try to be like anyone other than herself. She looks in the mirror and doesn't dislike what she sees. Wouldn't it be nice if we could stay that way?
This may change as she gets older. She may begin to compare herself to the artificially enhanced celebrities presented in the media. She may define herself and her beauty according to glossy photoshopped magazine ads developed by corporations selling products. There may eventually come a day when she looks in the mirror and sees things that she considers unattractive. Maybe it will be her curly hair. Maybe it will be her size, or her lashes, or her skin. When she is my age she may focus on the gray hair, wrinkles, physical decline, and scars that living has left behind. She may eventually succumb to the message contained in most advertisements targeting women...buy, change, and/or take this because without it you are not enough.
Remember the Dove commercial where women would describe themselves to a portrait artist who couldn't see them? A very unflattering portrait was drawn that looked nothing like the person. Then a stranger would come in and describe the same woman to the artist. The one drawn from the stranger's perspective was beautiful.
This was brought home to me this week on a dentist visit. As I walked in the front door the young pretty receptionist said, "We were just talking about how beautiful your hair is." I turned around to see who she was talking to. There was no one else in the room. I did not even for a moment consider she could have been addressing me or my very gray hair. When I realized she was talking to me I wondered if she was joking. She wasn't and I finally muttered out a "Thank you."
Which brings me to why I even wrote this...
An all-female rock band called The Mrs. formed because they didn't feel like their lives were being reflected on the radio. Deemed by music industry people as being too old to get airplay, they decided to write a song to change their own inner critical voices and "Enough" was born. As they were promoting the song they began putting sticky notes on public mirrors with positive messages such as "You've never looked better" and "You are enough".
Then they took it another step by setting up an interactive mirror in an Austin, Texas, mall and inviting women to judge their appearance from "Woof" to "Drop Dead Gorgeous". The band members were behind the scenes secretly interacting with those who stopped by and sending them positive messages. A few pre-chosen guests were treated to a first-hand demonstration of how gorgeous they are through the eyes of their spouses and family.
I love this video and hope you will, too. I am going to try to ease up on myself when I look in the mirror. I have made peace with my gray hair. The wrinkles may take longer.
Look in the mirror and rock on, Sisters! You are more than enough. As for the little one up there, I pray she always looks in the mirror and sees nothing but her amazing self staring back.
