Gluten is Not My Friend

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Oh how I wish we were the best of friends. The pastries, the pizza, the pasta, the bread, Lord have mercy, the bread. I want to have a relationship with these foods like no other relationship I have had before. Sorry, Brian but you get me.

I don’t want to linger on this discussion because I made a decision many years ago that my life will not be defined by whether or not I eat gluten. But I do think it’s an important topic for those who care to understand how I manage my food allergy.

Let me take you back to our first pilgrimage in 2017 on the Camino Frances in Spain. I ate zero gluten the entire trip and, with regards to food, I was miserable. I hated missing out, I hated have to explain my food allergy to every sweet person trying to give food to a hungry pilgrim, but most of all I hated being defined by my food allergy.

In 2019 when we walked part of the Camino France and all of the Camino Portuguese, I decided food allergy be dammed, I am eating whatever I want. LOL My body said, “Oh you want to play that game, let me show you who’s really in charge.” Guess what? It’s not the mind, it’s the stomach. I paid a hefty price on that pilgrimage. I had breathing issues, anxiety, and the horrific, constant wheat belly. When I eat gluten, my belly protrudes and makes me look very round in the middle until is processes through my body at a snails pace as it impacts my breathing. I didn’t want to believe the gluten was to blame, denial was much easier to manage.

Fast forward to when we decided to go on another pilgrimage. I spent the year working with my doctor to ensure my heart and lungs were functioning well (since I developed breathing issues). I got a colonoscopy where my doctor did two different tests for celiac disease. He confirmed that I do not have celiac disease. Well, there’s a win!

I went to my allergy doctor, we decided to go ahead with a food allergy test. Guess what? Dang it, it was confirmed that I am allergic to wheat. Not the, “you will go into anaphylactic shock,” type of allergy but one step down, a moderate allergy. I already knew that but my mind needed the confirmation. Now what? I am going to Italy! I am eating the pasta! Ughh!! But I will not let my food allergy define me.

I did some research and found a gluten relief pill to help ease the pain my body goes through to process wheat. Click here to see what I use.* It’s not a perfect system, but as long as I take it before I eat wheat, my body processes it a bit faster. I still have a bit of breathing issue and my belly still protrudes some but it helps the wheat process faster.

On pilgrimage, the greatest problem is that we are at the mercy of those who are providing food for us. Some places we stay only have bread and coffee for breakfast as that is typical for Italians. I am not going to hike on coffee alone. See my blog, “I’m Hungry and I Don’t Want to Talk About It.” Therefore, I avoid gluten when I can, I take the preventative pill and eat it when I have to do so.

Life is a delicate balance of choices whether you have a food allergy or not. Sometimes we eat too much, drink too much, and that’s just life. My allergy will not define me, it’s just part of the consideration when I make choices. I can feel a life lesson in there, can you?

On this day, I found gluten free snacks! And a cappuccino with chocolate. 🥳

*We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The 21 Pound Turkey… How to Handle Dreaded Holiday Leftovers!

Posted on December 20, 2020 by CruisinColemans

In the midst of the COVID virus pandemic, we purchased a 21-pound turkey for two and it’s a good thing we love turkey leftovers! Now don’t get me wrong, I can only eat Thanksgiving (or Christmas) dinner with all of the trimmings twice at most but take that holiday turkey and divide it into dinner-sized portions and freeze it for later and you’ve got easy meal prep for multiple meals. Keep reading for some of our creative ideas and suggestions from some of our subscribers about how to use up all of the leftovers from your holiday dinner.

In the YouTube video that accompanies this post, we’re giving some quick walkthroughs of several recipe ideas. All of them are linked here with a quick description and some tips to turn your leftovers into new favorites. Plus all of these recipes can be made year-round by substituting chicken when you just can’t handle that big bird more than once a year.

Turkey Stock

The first must-do for our leftovers is making a big batch of turkey stock. Stock is can be very simple. Take the bones and trimming from your turkey, add aromatics such as celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and any herbs you have in the spice rack, and cook on the stovetop or in a crockpot for as long as you can handle the aromas wafting from your kitchen! Here’s our basic recipe:

Turkey Stock

Cheesy Turkey Rice Casserole

Most casseroles use some sort of “cream of something” soup as a base. If someone in your household can’t eat gluten, you know that this can be a challenge since most brands include wheat as a thickener. Have no fear, this scratch recipe is quick and easy… plus it’s delicious! By the way, substitute any leftover veggies in place of the peas. Broccoli and even leftover green bean casserole taste great here.

Cheesy Turkey Rice Casserole

Turkey Sandwiches

I know, everyone makes turkey sandwiches, where is the creative idea? But have you made one with a dressing waffle bun? Inspired by chicken and waffles, we take leftover dressing and press it into a DASH waffle iron. To make the sandwich, layer the waffles with gouda cheese, melted cranberry sauce, and turkey for a delicious sweet and savory sandwich that pleases.

Photo of Dressing Waffle Bun sandwich

How about Turkey Bacon Pinwheels. Made with wraps, cream cheese, bacon, turkey, and your choice of cheese, it’s another quick way to get out of the turkey sandwich rut. This recipe is inspired by a keto version from Ruled.me.

How about side dishes! Potato Pancakes

Michelle’s grandma’s Holiday Mashed Potatoes are fantastic the first time around. I’m not a big fan of them leftover because they always seem a little dry. To turn your leftover mashed into potato pancakes, follow these simple directions:

2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or parmesan)
1 egg
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
flour (if needed)

Mix everything together except the milk. Add milk as needed to get a spoonable consistency. If the mixture is too runny (or you started with wet mashed potatoes) add a little flour.

Heat a pan on medium-high heat with some olive oil and spoon out about 1/2 cup of potatoes for each pancake. Press them to about 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Serve with sour cream, apple sauce (like latkes), or just as is.

Turkey Fajita Soup

We love making anything with Mexican and Tex-Mex flavors! This soup is a quick and easy addition to our regular menu.

Turkey Fajita Soup

Modern Turkey Pot Pie

Not many dishes say comfort food like a pot pie. This really is a dish where you can add just about anything, including leftovers! This recipe comes from the New York Times Food Lab and it is one of our favorite versions of pot pie and it is classy enough to serve for company. Notice the wine pairings at the end of the recipe in the link below. Road to Shambala reminded us that we love pot pie!

Modern Turkey Pot Pie

BBQ Turkey Nachos

We mentioned that we love Mexican food right? Nachos are like ambrosia and we could eat them every week. Here is an interesting take inspired by pulled pork nachos that are popular on many bar menus now.

BBQ Turkey Nachos

Recipes that didn’t make the video:

We have a bunch of favorites that we couldn’t include in the video but wanted to give you the recipe anyway. Here they are:
Chicken with Pancetta Cream and Peas is a Cooking Light Magazine take on Chicken Alfredo. We use leftover turkey breast and mix it in at the end of cooking. This is another great way of incorporating leftover veggies because you can mix in virtually any cooked veggies (think pasta primavera).

Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet from Primavera Kitchen calls for ground turkey at the beginning of the recipe. We’ve found that skipping that direction and adding pieces of leftover turkey towards the end of cooking is equally tasty.

One final family recipe is for Grandma Baker’s Chicken and Dumpling Soup. Michelle’s grandma’s traditional chicken and dumplings recipe works equally well with turkey and produces dense dumplings that are another great comfort food staple on a cold winter’s night.

What are your favorite ways to use up those holiday leftovers? Leave us a comment below and let us know and if you try out one of our recipes, send a picture or tag us on Instagram. Maybe we’ll post up ham recipes after Christmas or Easter!

Recipe of the Month: Easy Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Cruisin Brian

When most people think about camping, they dream about roasting hotdogs and making s’mores over the campfire. When we go on our extended trips, that would get old really fast! We only eat hotdogs two or three times during our entire summer trip. Since I love to cook, I’m always trying to get creative without spending lots of time in the kitchen. Plus, in the 100º+ temperatures of Arizona, where we are right now, I don’t want to heat up the RV. Crockpots are great, because they do most of the work and I can leave it outside all day while we’re off playing. Of course, be aware of your surroundings, you don’t want to get the attention of the local wildlife and lose your dinner!

Easy Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the crockpot:

2 pounds of short ribs
½ t salt
½ t pepper
1 T olive oil
1 C dry red wine (or water)
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds sliced mushrooms
1 large sweet onion, sliced (optional)
4 C beef broth

For the risotto:

1 ½ C of arborio rice (the kind of rice matters, don’t use anything else!)
1 t olive oil
1 t minced garlic
6 C of cooking liquid (topped off with water if there is not enough)
½ C half and half
1 C parmesan cheese, plus more for finishing
2 T fresh chives

Instructions:

Sprinkle the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an iron skillet over medium high heat. Sear the short ribs for about 60 seconds on each side to get a nice crust on them. You might need to do this in batches. Place each piece of meat in the crock pot as they are finished. When all of the ribs are done, add wine or water to the pan and scrape up the browned bits. Pour this over the meat in the crockpot. You may skip this step if you’re lazy or don’t want to get another pan dirty. Just cover meat with salt and pepper and add wine or water directly to the crockpot.
In the crockpot, add garlic powder, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce to meat. Top with the mushrooms. You could also add some sliced onion if you like. Add broth to cover meat. You may need to top off with some additional water to make sure the meat is fully submerged (the mushrooms and onion do not need to be covered).
Put the crockpot on low and forget about it for 6-8 hours.

At dinner time:

About 45 minutes before dinner, heat a large saucepan over medium heat with the olive oil and add the garlic. As soon as you smell the garlic, add the rice. Toast the rice for a few minutes until you can start to smell it also.
Meanwhile, remove the mushrooms and onions from the crockpot and put them in a bowl. Put the short ribs in another bowl. As you continue through the next steps, make sure to drain the liquid from both bowls back into the cooking liquid.
Add one cup of the cooking liquid to the rice and stir with a rubber spatula. When the liquid is mostly absorbed, it is time to add another cup. Make sure you keep track of how much liquid is added. The liquid should be at a gentle simmer throughout this process, do not try to rush this step. Keep stirring frequently so that nothing sticks to the bottom.
Using a fork or tongs, pull the short ribs apart into small bite-sized pieces, saving back one full piece for each person you are serving.
Once you are down to adding the final cup of liquid (number 6) taste the rice to check for doneness. It should have a little “bite” to it (al dente). If you would like it softer, add more liquid ½ cup at a time until you get it where you want it. Adjust seasoning, if necessary.
To finish the rice, add the half and half and cheese and simmer for just a few more minutes. At the same time, add the mushrooms and onions into the risotto. Make sure that any liquid is drained from them or they will make the risotto too wet at this point. Once everything is ready, gently stir in the torn short rib pieces.
To serve, spoon the risotto onto a plate and top with one full piece of meat. Sprinkle with parmesan and chives. We love to serve this with sauteed sugar snap peas or asparagus.

Our Favorite Recipes from the Camino: Tarta de la Abuela Borracho (Drunken Grandma’s Cake) Gluten-Free!

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Cruisin Brian

UPDATE: Check out our new how-to video to make Tarta de la Abuela Borracho here: https://youtu.be/gbQQPMR_Nf4

While walking across Spain and Portugal during the summers of 2017 and 2019, we were offered Tarta de la Abuela many times. It was always the same basic recipe, but with small variations such as vanilla, caramel, or even banana custard. We also ran into several abuelas (and more often abuelos) who would enjoy a little nip almost any time of the day, so we thought why not incorporate it into this delicious cake.

A Tarta de la Abuela that we were served in Pontevedra.

This cake is really a breeze to make and here in the States is often called an icebox cake. They’re not very common anymore, but I don’t know why. Let’s try to bring them back! If you want to simplify the recipe, you could always use instant pudding but grandma would not approve, plus the custard is actually really easy to make.

Everything you need for a pan of delicious cake.

Start by warming four cups of milk in a saucepan along with a stick of cinnamon. Before it starts boiling, remove the pan from the heat. Cover and let it stand until slightly cooled. If it is too hot when added to eggs in the next step, they will cook (not good). Remove the cinnamon stick and put 1 c of milk into a bowl.

In a small bowl, mix four egg yolks, a quarter cup of corn starch, and one cup of sugar. It will be a thick paste.

Begin combining the milk little by little, stirring constantly, with the egg mixture. Return to stove and heat, stirring frequently until the mixture is thickened and somewhat reduced. Keep the heat low so that the custard does not burn to the bottom of the pan. This custard should be thick.

The milk and egg mixture most be monitored closely so that it does not burn on the bottom of the pan. If you burn it, throw it out and start over.

The egg and sugar mixture. — The milk and egg mixture most be monitored closely so that it does not burn on the bottom of the pan. If you burn it, throw it out and start over.

Once the custard has your desired texture, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly then add a half cup of Orujo Tostada. Orujo is a traditional liqueur made from distilled grapes after they have been pressed for winemaking. The result is Spanish white lightening. It is often flavored and served as a digestive after dinner. The most popular flavors are an herbal and a coffee flavor, but one store we visited had more than twenty flavors available! You probably won’t be able to get Orujo in the U.S. so substitute caramel vodka or even butterscotch schnapps.

Chocolate chips added to make ganache — Cream and butter

To make the ganache layer, heat a half cup of cream and four tablespoons of butter in another saucepan until it starts to steam a little. Remove from heat and add one cup of chocolate chips. Stir until thoroughly melted and combined.

At assemble the cake, begin by soaking several cookies in the bowl of milk and transfer to a loaf pan. Don’t soak them too long or they will break apart.

Who doesn’t love to dip cookies in milk?

Cover the cookies with a layer of half of the custard. Put another layer of milk-soaked cookies. Top with half of the chocolate ganache. Repeat with cookies, the remainder of the custard, and the fourth layer of cookies.

And finally, add the last layer of chocolate custard. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. By allowing the cake to sit, the cookies will absorb some of the liquid from the custard and become soft and cake-like. The photos in this post are of a half recipe so the layers are a little thinner.

The smaller the pan, the thicker the final layers will be.

Tarta de la Abuela Borracho (Drunken Grandma’s Cake)

4 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 packages of gluten free graham crackers (or shortbread style cookies)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup caramel liqueur
1 cup dark chocolate chips
4 T butter
1/2 cup cream or half and half

Warm the milk in a saucepan with the cinnamon. Before it starts boiling remove from the heat. Cover and let it stand until slightly cooled. If it is too hot when added to eggs, they will cook (not good).

Remove the cinnamon stick and put 1 c of milk into a bowl.

Mix the egg yolks, the corn starch and the sugar in a bowl. It will be a thick paste.

Start adding the milk little by little mixing constantly with the rest of the ingredients. Return to stove and heat, stirring frequently until the mixture is thickened and somewhat reduced. Keep the heat low so that the custard does not burn to the bottom of the pan. This custard should be thick.

Once the custard has your desired texture, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly then add the liqueur.

Heat cream and butter in another saucepan until it starts to steam a little. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until thoroughly melted and combined.

To assemble the cake:

Begin by soaking several cookies in the bowl of milk and transfer to a loaf pan. Don’t soak them too long or they will break apart.

Cover the cookies with a layer of half of the custard.

Put another layer of milk-soaked cookies.

Top with half of chocolate ganache.

Repeat with cookies, remainder of the custard, and a four layer of cookies.

And finally, add the last layer of chocolate custard. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Recipe of the Month – Tarta de Santiago

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Cruisin Brian

While walking along the Camino de Santiago, there is always plenty of food to choose from, but one of my favorite things is to ask for “especialidad de la casa” or specialty of the house. Whether it is garlic soup, barnacles, home-made cheese, tuna ragu, or octopus, they were always fresh, usually delicious, and definitely a taste of the local culture. One of our favorite local specialties was Tarta de Santiago, an almond cake commonly found in Galicia, but popular across Spain. With only six simple ingredients, the cake is actually quite easy to make and delicious for any occasion. If you are going to walk the Camino, many local stores will sell metal knight’s cross stencils to use for decorating the cake, but a quick google search for the cross of St. James will give you plenty of options to print out. I printed mine on card stock to make it easier to lift off the cake once it was covered in powdered sugar.

After working through several recipes and a couple of different methods, this cake is most like the ones we preferred while doing our taste-test research in Spain. This cake is naturally gluten-free but we did find some that were commercially baked that did contain wheat flour. After some experimentation, here is my recipe for Tarta de Santiago.

Prepare a 9-inch cake pan by cutting. piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Butter the bottom and sides of the pan and place the paper in the pan. Buttering the bottom keeps the paper from moving when you pour the batter in.

In a small bowl, separate 5 large eggs. Use a cereal bowl and then pour the whites into a large bowl so that if a yolk breaks you don’t ruin the entire batch of whites.

Beat the egg yolks with one cup of powdered sugar until they lighten in color and stream off the beaters in thick ribbons.

Zest a lemon and then mince the lemon west until it is very fine. I don’t like biting into a piece of zest when I’m eating the cake. Mix the zest and one teaspoon of pure almond extract into the egg yolk mixture.

Add two cups of finely ground almond flour into the egg mixture by hand. Try to find almond flour that is pale white in color. Many brands are ground before the skins are removed and have brown flecks in them. This will not affect the flavor, but the cake isn’t as pretty in the end. This mixture will be very thick

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with half a teaspoon of salt and a quarter cup of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.

Take a quarter of the egg whites and mix into the yolk mixture to begin to lighten it. Add another quarter and continue to gently mix together. Finally, add the last half of the eggs whites and mix gently until fully incorporated. Don’t over mix at this point or the cake will be less light. Some recipes skip the step and the whole eggs are added at the beginning. These versions of the cake will be more dense and heavier. We did taste some like this in Spain but they weren’t as good, in my opinion.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Check the cake and if the center seems too wet, bake for another 5-10 minutes but don’t wait for it to be dry in the center. Also, I would not recommend putting the cake tester directly in the center because you will see the hole since the powdered sugar will not cover it.

Let the finished cake rest in the pan until it is cool and then use a thin knife to cut around the edge to help the cake release. If you are not serving it immediately, wrap it in plastic wrap so that it doesn’t dry out. Gluten-free baked goods are notorious for becoming more dense and dry as they sit, so do not refrigerate it either. I baked this cake the night before we were serving it and it was still perfect the next evening and leftovers on the third day were just as good.

Right before serving, place the cross on the cake and dust with powdered sugar poured into a sieve. Carefully lift off the cross using the tip of a knife to leave the imprint behind.

Tarta de Santiago

5 large eggs
1 1/4 c powdered sugar, divided, plus more for dusting the finished cake
1 lemon, zested
1 t almond extract
2 cups finely ground almond flour
1/2 t salt

Separate the eggs into two large bowls. Using a mixer, combine the yolks and 1 cup of sugar until pale in color and thick ribbons form. Beat in the finely minced lemon zest and almond extract. Stir in the almond flour until well combined. The mixture will be very thick.

In the other bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt and 1/4 cup of sugar until stiff peaks form. Work a quarter of the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture. Continue adding the white a bit at a time until fully incorporated, being careful not to overmix and deflate the whites.

Pour into a 9-inch cake pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes, being careful to not dry out the cake. It should still be moist in the center. Fully cool before removing from the pan.

Before serving, place a cut-out of the cross of St. James on the cake and dust with powdered sugar. Remove the stencil with the tip of a knife.

Serve the cake with cafe con leché, orujo, or your favorite glass of Spanish wine and enjoy this taste of Northern Spain and the Camino! We hope you’ve enjoyed our journey so far across Spain and now up the coast of Portugal. If you haven’t already, make sure to hit the subscribe button and check us out on Instagram and YouTube.

Recipe of the Month – Basque Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Cruisin Brian

Today we are sleeping in as we prepare to begin walking our Camino, leaving from Leon, Spain, tomorrow morning. I don’t know what we will find to eat today in Leon, but if we can’t find anything inspiring we know of a fine little Mexican restaurant called King Kong near the Cathedral.

On our 2017 Camino, the first real meal that we ate on the Way was a Pilgrim’s dinner in a small restaurant in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port the night before we started walking. We didn’t know it at the time, but the meal was the classic Poulet a la Basque or Basque Chicken. It was so tender, piquant, salty, and oh-so-good that I had to figure out the recipe. On my birthday later that year, Michelle bought me Yosmar Martinez’s Tastes of the Camino Cookbook. The first recipe is for Basque Chicken. Her recipe is not exactly like the one we had in SJPdP, but it gave me a jumping off point. So with Yosmar’s forgiveness for “borrowing” parts of her recipe, here is my version of Basque chicken. This version will serve 2-3 people.

Begin by seasoning one and a half pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper and browning it in a pan with olive oil. It does not need to be cooked through. Set the chicken aside.

Add sliced onion, red and yellow pepper, four cloves of minced garlic, and a cup of petite diced tomatoes to the pan and cook until everything is softened, about ten minutes.

Add half a cup of dry white wine and cover to simmer on low for thirty minutes. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper if needed but be careful to not make the dish salty due to the garnish later. Also, a small amount of sugar may be added if the tomatoes are particularly acidic. Add the chicken back in and continue to simmer on low for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and slightly falling apart.

During the simmer, prepare the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400º and cut fingerling potatoes in halves or quarters depending on size. Toss them in some olive oil and salt and place them in a roasting pan or cookie sheet. Roast for fifteen minutes, tossing several times to make sure they get browned evenly.

Meanwhile, for the garnish, cut four ounces of Serrano ham (I used Prosciutto) into thin strips and cook over medium-high heat in a skillet. There is no need to add oil as the ham will render some fat quickly. Cook until the strips begin to brown and get crispy. Roughly chop some flat leaf parsley for additional garnish. Don’t skip this, the green brightens the final dish and lightens the flavor too.

Spoon the sauce into a large serving bowl and place the chicken on top. Garnish with the ham strips and parsley. Serve the potatoes on the side. Don’t forget the white wine!

Basque Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

1-1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 T olive oil, divided
1 large onion sliced
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 c petite diced tomatoes
1/2 c dry white wine
4 oz Serrano ham
2 sprigs flat leaf parsley
1 pound of fingerling potatoes
optional sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by seasoning the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and browning it in a pan with half of the olive oil. It does not need to be cooked through. Set the chicken aside.

Add onion, red and yellow pepper, minced garlic, and diced tomatoes to the pan and cook until everything is softened, about ten minutes.

Add wine and cover to simmer on low for thirty minutes. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper if needed but be careful to not make the dish salty due to the garnish later. Also, a small amount of sugar may be added if the tomatoes are particularly acidic. Add the chicken back in and continue to simmer on low for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and slightly falling apart.

During the simmer, prepare the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400º and cut potatoes in halves or quarters depending on size. Toss them in the remaining olive oil and salt and place them in a roasting pan or cookie sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, tossing several times to make sure they get browned evenly.

Meanwhile, for the garnish, cut the ham (I used Prosciutto) into thin strips and cook over medium-high heat in a skillet. There is no need to add oil as the ham will render some fat quickly. Cook until the strips begin to brown and get crispy. Roughly chop some flat leaf parsley for additional garnish.

Spoon the sauce into a large serving bowl and place the chicken on top. Garnish with the ham strips and parsley. Serve the potatoes on the side.

On a side note…

We hope you enjoy following us along our journey across Spain and Portugal in the coming weeks. Hit subscribe for up to date blog posts, and make sure that you check out our Instagram feed for real-time, up to the minute posts along the Way. Our goal is to post on Instagram daily, and YouTube and blog at least once a week. Thanks for coming on this adventure with us! Our July recipe will be for Tarta de Santiago, an almond cake that is popular across Spain but especially in Galicia. Buen Camino!

Recipe of the Month – Taco Pizza (with gluten-free option)

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Cruisin Brian

We love pizza! I will put almost anything on a pizza: BBQ chicken, ham and pineapple, caramelized apples and oatmeal, or seafood. But one of our favorite pizza toppings is taco and if you’ve never had a taco pizza you are missing out. Other than the crust, there is nothing in this recipe that would include gluten, but always check your store-bought seasonings and sauces to be sure, some may have gluten hidden in the ingredient list.

Start with the pizza crust. If you don’t have gluten issues, use your favorite store bought crust or make your own. After lots of research, for the best gluten-free pizza crust, we have discovered two options. We love the Bob’s Red Mill pizza crust mix that you can buy here but if you want a real treat, try this recipe from MeaningfulEats.com. It is quick and easy to make and works well with any gluten-free flour blend. Do what you need to get your crust ready and start to brown a pound of ground beef in a skillet.

Drain the hamburger and add a packet of taco seasoning (warning: some brands do contain wheat as a thickener) and a quarter cup of water. Mix let most of the water evaporate out. Set aside to cool.

Pre-bake the crust to get it mostly done. Raise the oven temperature to 480º. In a bowl, combine a can of refried beans, a half a can of crushed tomatoes, and one cup of taco sauce. Add one teaspoon each of garlic powder, oregano, and marjoram. If the sauce seems to think to spread, add a little more tomato or taco sauce.

Spread the bean mixture on the pre-baked crust. Any sauce that is left over (you should have about a cup) makes a great dip for tortilla chips!

Top the sauce with one cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, the taco meat, and another cup of cheddar or Mexican blend cheese.

Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly (mine got a little overdone, oops).

Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and any other taco toppings that you enjoy. The most important topping is crushed taco Doritos. Slice and enjoy

Taco Pizza

Pizza dough (gluten free mix, your favorite recipe, or store bought)
1 pound ground beef
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can of refried beans
1 cup of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
1 cup of taco sauce
1 tsp each garlic powder, oregano, and marjoram
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup of shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
sour cream
Taco Doritos
Other taco toppings that you enjoy

Prepare the pizza crust as needed and prebake it according to directions. It should be almost done.

Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Add the taco seasoning and about 1/2 cup of water. Cook until thickened. Set aside to cool.

Mix the beans, tomato sauce, and taco sauce together in a bowl. Add the seasonings and combine.

Spread the sauce on the crust. Top with mozzarella cheese, taco meat, and finish with the cheddar cheese.

Bake at 480º for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly or the desired amount of brown. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and crushed Doritos.

Does it pizza? What would like to see on a pizza as an unusual topping? Maybe we’ll create a special pizza just for you! Leave a comment below to let us know. Also, make sure you subscribe for email notifications each time we post a new blog. If you want to follow our upcoming Camino, check out Cruisin with the Colemans on Instagram and YouTube!

Cocktails with the Colemans – Providence, RI edition

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Cruisin Brian

During our recent extended trip to Providence, Rhode Island, we didn’t really have time to explore too much of the local craft spirits scene. There are two iconic Rhode Island beverages that we tried, however, that we felt were perfect candidates to work well as a cocktail. We hope you enjoy the fruits of our “research!” Disclaimer: there are some affiliate links below, use them and we make a small amount of money from Amazon.

Lemon Ice Spike

Del’s Lemonade is a popular beverage that you can find all over town when the weather is nice. Shops, food carts, and even ice cream trucks serve this frosty delight. During our trip to the zoo, there were lemon ice carts all over the park even though the temperatures were still a little chilly. The original is a semi-solid slushy and our version plays on that fact, making it the perfect drink for summer. By the way, it didn’t get its name the way you might think. Our hotel was overrun by volleyball players in town for a tournament which inspired the “spike.” You could probably use your favorite lemonade mix if you can’t get your hands on Del’s mix, but they do sell it online.

2 ounces dells lemon ice mix
2 cups of ice
1/2 to 1 cup of water, depending on how thick you want the finished product
3 shots of Tito’s Vodka (our favorite)

Put all ingredients into a blender (we love the Ninja for this). Blend for 30 seconds. Divide between two sugar rimmed glasses and enjoy.

Irish coffee milk

Coffee milk is another Rhode Island staple but it might be a little harder to find now that coffee shops are everywhere. I looked at several places and it was never on the menu, but I bet they would make you one if you asked. This is exactly what it sounds like, the chocolate milk from your childhood, only made with coffee syrup. I found several different brands of coffee syrup available around town but none compared to Dave’s Coffee. Made in small batches, it only has three gradients: cane sugar, fresh ground coffee, and water. The way it should be done. You probably won’t be able to find coffee syrup and your local supermarket but you could make your own. Start with four shots of espresso and put that in a saucepan with half a cup of sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved and pour into a bottle or jar to cool.

1 cup whole milk (you could use a milk substitute, but it will change the flavor)
3 tablespoons of coffee syrup
1 shot of Irish whiskey, such as Jameson’s

Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker over about a cup of ice. Shake vigorously. Uncapped the shaker and pour everything into a glass. Don’t use the shaker’s strainer or you will miss all of the delicious foam. Garnish with a drizzle of coffee syrup and relive a grown-up version of a favorite childhood treat!

We hope you enjoy our cocktail series. Leave us a comment below if you have a favorite from Rhode Island that we missed.

We Have Cocktails – Smoky Mountains Edition

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Cruisin Brian

Not only do we love to try local food when we are traveling, but we also love to search for local wineries, breweries, and distilleries. See our Florida Cocktails post for a great example.

While visiting the Smoky Mountains, it is difficult to get out of the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville area without trying two things: fudge and moonshine. We are wine lovers but for the most part, Tennesee wine is not our thing. We prefer dry red wines and the local specialties are sweet and mostly fruit wines. Now when it comes to moonshine, we’ll try anything once! On the Gatlinburg strip, there are currently four different places to sample the local goods all within stumbling distance of one another. A short trolley ride or drive away there are several other distilleries that offer samples as well. While the days of free moonshine on the strip are over, samples are only $5 a person making moonshine tastings the cheapest drink in town.

So we have done extensive research during our week in Gatlinburg to bring you our top choices of the local distilleries and three brand new cocktails created just for you, our faithful Cruisers!

Ole Smoky

Ole Smoky advertises themselves as the first legal moonshine distillery in Tennessee and they certainly set the mold for what is expected in a moonshine tasting. “The Holler,” the original location, has restaurants (Mellow Mushroom and Dick’s Last Resort) allowing you go get a tasting while waiting for a table, an entertainment stage which often features local musicians, a daiquiri bar (just in case someone in your group prefers low-alcohol, over-priced drinks over moonshine), a Paula Deen store, Starbucks, and a 7D Adventure Ride just in case you’d prefer to do shots without the kids watching (although no one will judge and they won’t be the only kids around). Your $5 tasting fee gets you a dozen samples and at least that many corny jokes from the person pouring them. The flavors available rotate but you can count on tastes of some straight moonshine and the most popular flavors of Apple Pie, Cinnamon, and Blackberry. During our research, we also tasted their new Dill Pickle (actual pickles soaked in moonshine) and Cinnamon Toast Cream (think of the milk left behind from Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal).

Just down the street, Ole Smoky has a second location that was formerly Davy Crockett’s Whiskey. Now called the Ole Smoky Barrelhouse, this location also features a $5 tasting but here you will get mostly whiskey with a different round of related bad jokes. Make sure you try the Salty Caramel and avoid the Pecan (“tastes like a mouth full of nuts, and not the good kind”).

Sugarlands Distilling Company

Sugarlands is one of our favorite stops on the strip. The flavors are a little more refined and their apple pie is hands down the best we’ve ever tasted. The process here is just like the one above but at Sugarlands there is a bar in the back where you can purchase drinks and if you buy three bottles or more, your first round is “buy one, get one.” Unusual things to try here would be the Maple Bacon Moonshine (which makes a wicked Bloody Mary) and Hazelnut Rum. Like everywhere else, your $5 tasting fee is refunded with a purchase. If you’re lucky, you will get a real show as part of your tasting, like ours with Stokes.

Doc Collier Moonshine

Our other favorite stop is Doc Collier’s. All of their spirits are made in small batches and we were among the first to taste their products when they first opened in 2014. Back then they only offered straight moonshine, using flavored water drops to create flavored ‘shine. Now they offer a full range of craft spirits including whiskey, brandy, and cream liquors. Make sure you try the ‘Naner and Root Beer Float. They also offer moonshine slushies and your $5 tasting fee can be used towards the purchase of a drink or bottles of product.

And now, on to the cocktails!

Most purists would tell you that moonshine goes best with bad decisions and no regrets, but we prefer to mix ours. Almost any of the fruit flavors will mix well with cola or lemon-lime soda The cream flavors are often really good mixed into a Wendy’s Frosty or milkshake. We have come up with three combinations of flavors that we think you will really like. We’ve tested them out on family, campground neighbors, and of course, ourselves.

Caramel Apple Dream-Cicle

1 oz Sugarlands Appalachian Apple Pie Moonshine
1/2 oz Evan Williams Bourbon
1 oz half and half

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a whiskey glass.

Funky Monkey Martini

1-1/2 oz Doc Collier’s Chocolate Cream
1/2 oz plus a splash of Doc Collier Naner’ Moonshine
1 oz Grey Goose Vodka
1 Doc Collier ‘Shine Cherry
half a grind of Himalayan Pink Salt
ground Ghiradelli chocolate

Combine cream, moonshine, and vodka on a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a martini glass and top with a half grind of salt, chocolate, and a cherry.

Mountain Mojito

4-6 fresh mint leaves
1/4 lime
1/2 t sugar
1-1/2 oz Bacardi Silver Rum
1/2 oz Sugarlands Peppermint Moonshine
Lemon-Lime soda

Squeeze two slices of lime into a glass and add 4-6 torn peppermint leaves and sugar. Muddle together. Add rum and moonshine and stir. Top with soda. Garnish with mint leaves.

Bonus Cocktail – ‘Shine Glow

1 oz Sugarlands Wild Mayhal Moonshine
1/2 oz Sugarlands Peach Moonshine
splash of pineapple juice
Lemon-Lime Soda

Miranda, a bartender at Sugerlands, shared with us her creation that will be featured on the summer cocktail menu in the Sugarlands lounge. Pour both moonshines over ice in a cocktail glass and add a splash of pineapple juice. Top with soda and enjoy!

Do you have a favorite moonshine mixer? Let us know in the comments below and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of our adventures in the Great Smoky Mountains in the coming weeks.

Recipe of the Month – Cajun Chicken Pie

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Cruisin Brian

We’ve been seeing a lot about Mardi Gras in the last week and it really gave me a taste for some New Orleans inspired food. We were already planning to make a chicken pot pie this week, so I figured that with a few tweaks it could really warm up the cold weather we’ve been having and take us back to the Big Easy.

Start by heating one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Place about a pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs in the pan and sprinkle with salt and half a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. Cook until browned on both sides and there is no pink. Set aside on a plate.

Meanwhile, chop a large onion, red pepper, two stalks of celery, and half a pound of mushrooms. Someone else in the house finished off the celery, so none for us this time around in the pot pie!

Put the vegetables in the pan and cook until they are softened and reduced in volume. Allow all of the liquids to cook off and scrape up any browned bits.

Dice the chicken into small bite sized pieces and add it to the veggies.

Add three tablespoons of flour (or two tablespoons of gluten-free flour blend) and one and a half teaspoons of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. Stir in and allow the flour to cook for a minute.

Add one cup each of chicken broth and half and half. Bring to a boil and allow the gravy to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Be careful about adding more Tony’s, it has a lot of salt and it’s easy to overdo it. If you want more spice, add some hot sauce or cayenne pepper.

Pour the whole mixture into a two quart casserole dish. Before you scroll any further, I must say… don’t judge.

Top the filling with a pie crust. There are several options here. I usually make a fresh crust and my favorite recipe is in this post for Praline Pumpkin Pie. Tonight I was trying to get things done a little quicker and used a premade crust. You can use a rollout refrigerator crust but I’ve never found a gluten-free one. Wholly Wholesome makes a really good crust that you can find in the freezer section. Pop the shell out of the pie pan and place it on top of the filling. I dropped ours and it shattered. In that case, piece it back together on top of the filling (I told you already, no judgment)! Once the crust thaws, roll the edges down and crimp them

If you’re eating it now, bake in a 400º oven for thirty minutes. You can also refrigerate it overnight to cook tomorrow. Set the pie out to return to room temperature for at least thirty minutes and bake at 350º for one hour.

We’re eating ours tonight for dinner, check out our Instagram page to see the final results around 7 PM.

Deep Dish Cajun Chicken Pie

1 large onion
8 oz mushrooms
2 stalks celery
1 red sweet pepper
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
3 T flour (or 2 T gluten-free flour blend)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 t poultry seasoning
1 1/2 t Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
1 c chicken broth
1 c half and half

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and the poultry seasoning. Cook until browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center. Place aside on a plate. While the chicken is cooking, dice the vegetables.

In the same skillet, cook the vegetables until they are soft and reduced in volume, cooking of all of the liquid. Meanwhile, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Add the chicken to the vegetables along with the Creole seasoning and flour. Mix together and cook for one more minute. Add the milk and broth and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to thicken and adjust seasonings if necessary. Pour the filling into a 2 quart casserole dish and cover with a pie crust.

Bake at 400º for 30 minutes. The pie will hold well overnight. Let it come to room temperature and bake at 350º for one hour.