Oh yum its gluten free!

I have friends who are gluten intolerant, and so I am always interested in testing gluten-free products.

Today I used Gluten-Free Mamas Rice Almond Blend (made in Polson) to make Honey Sandwich Bread (this is a .pdf file). Doesnt that sound delicious? It is!

The flour blend is white, with the velvety texture of cornstarch. Mama uses rice, almond, and tapioca flours mixed with potato starch.

Add your own xanthan gum, yeast, honey, and butter, and the dough begins to resemble cake batter as it whips around the mixer at high speed.

This is my first loaf, but it seems that making gluten-free bread is somewhat different from creating a loaf of regular bread. Although it needs time to rise in a warm place, the dough is handled more roughly initially.

As you mix the dough, the faint aroma of almonds in this particular mix is lovely, but it disappears during baking.

When you spread the dough in the pan, the instructions say to "smooth the top." The dough is quite sticky, so I recommend wetting your fingers first so the dough doesnt stick to them. Although that isnt all bad since it is a very delicious treat to lick your fingers afterward!

This bakes up into a luscious-looking loaf with a distinctive honey taste.

It is a heavy loaf and slightly -- only very slightly -- gummy, which you would expect using these flours. But it is a serviceable bread for sandwiches, and if you cannot tolerate gluten, I think you would like it very much. I can eat anything, and I love it!

For this recipe I bought xanthan gum, which is pricey but is necessary to substitute for gluten in gluten-free baked goods, which are otherwise tough and dry. Most recipes use only about a teaspoon, so if you can get some from a gluten-free cook to try it out, do so.

I must admit I ignored the instructions that said to wait 30 minutes before slicing. I never wait until bread has cooled so long that butter no longer melts and oozes into the nooks and crannies of the first slice. I believe that is the reward of homemade bread.

I was afraid this bread would be difficult to slice when warm, but it wasnt. As always, you just need a good serrated bread knife to do the job.

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Chili contest

The contenders. My entry is

in the second cup to the left of the spoon.

People seem to think that because I write about food I must be a good cook.

Im not.

I follow recipes pretty well -- if theyre easy. And I do get it in my head to try things. That comes from reading fabulous food blogs and thumbing through the 125 or so interesting cookbooks I have. But I cant say everything turns out edible.

Yet there I was last night, a participant in the annual Big Timber Toot, Snoot, n Hoot. The "hoot" stands for the hysterical original musical comedy, the "snoot" refers to the consumption of alcoholic beverages (believe me, the evening is plenty fun without this), and the "toot" is the famed chili contest.

This ambitious 4-hour program was conceived ten years ago and is still written and directed by Gwen Petersen, a charming (sorry, Gwen, but its true) and colorful character who has ranched, written cowboy poetry and humor, and done everything imaginable to live her life to the fullest. A true role model. That is, if you dont read some of her poetry too closely. Heres Gwen posing as she samples the chili.

Anyway, there I was. I had to arrive early with my entry for the chili contest, so I ended up helping cut bread into bite-size pieces for palate cleansers between bites of chili, munching on corn chips, and taking photos of the activities.

I also enjoyed Tumblewood Teas, which were available for those who enjoy a more genteel alternative to "snoot."

There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes of a cooking contest, including mundane tasks such as sharpening pencils to mark the ballots.

Contestants hearts began beating with anticipation as the chili was set up at the starting line. (Mine is second from the right.) We also helped serve.

As people lined up for chili samples at 5 pm, the entertainment got underway. Elvis was there to get everyone in the mood for the main show at 7 pm, which this year was called "They Came from Beneath the Bandstand."

The eight chilis tasted completely different, including one very hot and one very sweet (mine). Apart from the vegetarian version, each was made with a different meat: beef, venison, buffalo, pork, even pepperoni. The crowd increased as the dinner hour passed and soon two chilis were gone (mine included). Finally, we were scraping the bottom of the cookers and letting latecomers enjoy a single bowl of mixed chilis. Even the dessert table was reduced to crumbs.

The excitement mounted as Gwen called the contestants onstage to briefly describe their chili. The three winners deserved their awards, and I vowed to try again next year and win one of the coveted medals (not to mention the prize money).

Kate, Big Timber librarian,

proudly wears her second-place medal

The evening ended with two hours of side-splitting laughter as the Wild West Posse, comprising professional musicians and talented amateurs, followed Gwens script and sang, danced, and acted crazy. Among featured acts were the Beach Bums, the Ink Snots, Hot Mama, and Patsy Decline.

Theres a DVD of the performance, so just let me know if youd like to relive the evening with me. Ill bring the chili.

My chili entry

Recipe note: This took me less than 30 minutes to make, which included slooowly browning a pound of frozen meat over medium heat, opening countless cans, and stirring everything together. If the meat is thawed, it takes about 15 minutes. You can easily make this vegan by omitting meat and using maple-flavored vegetarian baked beans.

The following is my version for the cook-off; substitute ingredients as you wish and create your own award-winning chili.

Quick Chili

1 pound ground buffalo meat

3 28-ounce cans Bush Maple Cured Bacon Baked Beans

2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes

11.5-ounce can of V8

11.5-ounce can tomato juice

2 1.25-ounce packets McCormick Original Chili Seasoning Mix

Brown meat, and stir in everything else.

I told you it was quick -- and easy!

This makes a lot, maybe 20 servings. Who could say for sure? It depends on how hungry everyone is. And how many late-night snacks you need. If you have leftovers, you can freeze them and/or give them to neighbors who have been nice to you -- or neighbors you hope will be nice to you in the future.

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Niterider Chili

You might be getting tired of reading about chili, but Im not getting tired of eating it. Glendive-based Western Trails does such a good job with their mixes that I love eating those wonderful foods and then talking about them.

One thing that really appeals to me is that each label has a story on it. Its a fun read, and you get a good feel for Old West Montana. Click on the photo above for a bigger image that should be more readable.

This chili, unlike the baked beans I made in December, is hot. As I added the included spices to the beans, I noticed dozens of chili seeds. Oh, yeah, they do their job all right! If youre sensitive, you might like to take a few minutes to pick them out before throwing them in the pot. Im going to do that next time!

The package includes beans, of course, and the spices. Along with water, I added a can of tomato paste and some sauteed onions, which made a thick, satisfying chili.

To minimize gassiness, the package directions say: "Wash beans, boil for 5 minutes in 4 cups water, cover and set aside for at least an hour. Drain beans and add fresh water and spices. Cook slowly until tender." (I cooked them for about an hour.) This could be applied to any bean dish.

I am a sucker for pretty beans. This mix uses Montana-grown pinto and great northern beans. I leave you with a photo of them as they prepared for their pre-chili bath.

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Spicy Squash Burgers

Im always on the lookout for cookbooks that encourage use of local foods. Eat Local, Feel Noble, by Lauren Caldwell, does that in the most enticing way.

This small book includes 52 recipes, one for each week of the year, along with information about Western Montana food movements, what types of food are available each month (again, in the western part of the state), and general encouragement to seek out locally produced foods.

"Yes, thats right, even through a tough Montana winter, one can enjoy delicious, nutritious fare grown close to home," notes Lauren in the introduction.

Although published in 2006, this book is timely now and will be timely for years to come.

With Laurens permission, I am reproducing the recipe designated for this week, a spicy vegetable-filled burger that is a Montana-style falafel. The photo above shows it served plain with a side of orange cauliflower. But you can get the pitas out, stuff them with this burger and perhaps some chopped cucumber, and then drizzle with tahini sauce for an exotic Middle-Eastern meal.

Spicy Squash Burgers

1 1/2 cups cooked winter squash*

1/2 cup dry lentils, or 1 1/2 cups cooked

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or bread crumbs)

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon dry parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Wash squash; cut in half; remove seeds and strings; place cut sides down in a baking dish filled with 1/4 inch of water. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, until a fork pierces the squash easily.

2. Bring 2 cups water to a boil; add dry lentils and chopped onion; simmer until soft -- about 40 minutes.

3. Put cooked squash and lentils in a bowl. Add flour, salt, herbs, spices, and oil; mix well.

4. Form burger dough into patties. Fry on a griddle on the stove, flipping over when halfway done -- or -- bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes.

* This is a great dish in which to use leftover squash, beans, or any other kinds of vegetables that can be cooked until tender. Be creative and throw in whatever you have on hand!

* * *

My own notes: I baked my burgers, and they were nicely crisp on the outside and lusciously soft on the inside. (I recommend putting them on parchment paper; they stick to ungreased foil. Or simply grease a cookie sheet.) I used pumpkin from my own garden, but canned pumpkin or any substitute, as noted above, would do.

I also used Montana-grown organic green lentils from Timeless Natural Food in Conrad and, of course, Wheat Montana flour.

As a matter of interest, sometimes ingredients create an artistic array. Be sure to watch for this when you cook!

To obtain a copy of this cookbook, contact Lauren at recipesformissoula@hotmail.com.

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