an easy-peasy weeknight holiday party! /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

while i'm not really one for throwing parties, i'm usually my friends' helper when they have shindigs of their own.  the pressure, the lack of time, and the not-knowing-where-to-start all make me too apprehensive to dip my toe in the party-planning world.  but now, as a married lady, i feel the desire to have friends over to our home, share food and drink, laughs and hugs, and be in the company of people we love.  

however, i have yet to invite enough people over for it to count as a real party (our apartment is a bit snug), but random get-togethers have occurred, and when they do i basically freak out about every little detail (which totally ends up not mattering at all!).  so when i decided to take on the role as a planner for a weeknight holiday party, i thought i was totally in over my head.  how does one realistically get off of work and then have time to put a party together!?  

as i dissected this idea, i came up with a solution: weeknight parties are for appetizers and booze, and that's about it!  taking on the challenge of making a meal was not going to happen, so i bought some pre-cut and pre-made items, paired them with goods in my pantry, strung up some twinkling lights, struck a match to some tea lights, and threw some pretty stems in vase!  basically a holiday party in a pinch.

each friday for the month of december, i'll be over on Gardenista sharing various holiday goods. for today, i'm sharing this weeknight holiday party menu, with some tips and step-by-step instructions on how to prepare each appetizer, along with a super fizzy (and boozy) festive punch!

 'tis the season, friends! xo

gluten-free artisan bread in 5 minutes a day: seeded 100% whole grain gf bread /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

did i ever tell you all that when i was growing up friends would call me pizza-bagel?  perhaps it was because i loved eating pizza and bagels, maybe it was because i actually loved putting pizza toppings on my bagels.  but i think it was mostly because i was part italian and part jewish, and that's how people would lovingly refer to me.  i guess i defined myself by that in a way, and also took on the food stereotype of what it meant to be both jewish and italian growing up in new york.  bagels were eaten, almost ritualistically each and every morning - and the bagels were so good, you didn't even think about skipping out on them for cereal.  every sunday was pizza night, where my dad would stretch out some dough, whip up a batch of my italian grandmother's tomato sauce (seasoned with manischewitz instead of regular red wine, naturally), and top it with slices of fresh mozzarella.  there was always pasta and ravioli, bialys, and round casa bread from the bakery where my dad grew up in the bronx.  

those memories are all but distant; as i grew up and learned that a steady diet of carb-y white flour was not exactly the most nutritiously sound.  fast forward a few years and i had discovered a gluten intolerance; so, my bagel every-once-in-a-blue, was a bagel no more. and while there are plenty of gluten-free bagels in the stores, i never liked, nor understood, half the the ingredients on the back of the package.  so, when was asked if i wanted a copy of gluten-free artisan bread in five minutes a day, (basically an opportunity to make my dream breads from scratch) i emphatically said yes!  

the book is somewhat of a dream to someone who longs for homemade, freshly baked gluten-free goods. but the book encompasses so many recipes i never would have thought were possible: from every day boule loaves, to baguette, challah (!) and rye bread (!). there's also a lovely pizza and focaccia dough recipe that i cannot wait to make; and recipes for bagels and bialys are obviously getting made asap.  however, first up was this seeded 100% whole grain loaf.  the recipe yields quite a bit of bread dough, so i wanted it to be a wholesome loaf i could eat on the day-to-day. each loaf i made was enjoyed at different times of the day, all with different accompaniments, and it even made an appearance at a pre-thanksgiving dinner with my folks where we sopped up some good olive oil with it.  i am so looking forward to baking more from this book, as it's already changed my entire gluten-free bread baking game!  perhaps it will change yours too!

a couple of links to include :) my recipe for cacao nib coconut macaroons is featured over on People.com in a really rad holiday cookie countdown!  and i have a couple of interviews: one over on get the gloss, and another on lucca magazine, if you're so inclined :)  hope you're having a good start to december!!! xo

seeded 100% whole grain loaf (gluten + dairy-free)

below i indicate "mixture #2", this refers to the two gluten-free all-purpose flour mixtures that the book provides recipes for.  mixture #2 is merely the whole grain flour mixture, whereas mixture #1 is not a whole grain-based mix.

From Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day 

ingredients

  • 6 1/2 cups mixture #2 100% whole grain gluten-free flour
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup pepitas
  • 1/2 sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon granulated yeast
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 4 cups lukewarm water
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 4 large eggs
  • cornmeal, for pizza peel

instructions

mixing and storing the dough

  • whisk together the flours, grains, seeds, yeast, and salt in a 5-to-6 quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container
  • add the water, honey, and eggs, and mix with a spoon.  cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises, approximately 2 hours
  • the dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days.  Or freeze for up to 4 weeks in 1-pound portions and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before use

on baking day

  • pull off a 1-pound (grapefruit size) piece of dough.  place it on a pizza peel (i used a wooden cutting board) prepared with a good amount of cornmeal.  quickly shape it into a ball and smooth the surface pressing and smoothing with wet fingers.  cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 60 minutes
  • about 20 minutes into the resting period, preheat a baking stone near the middle of the oven to 450°F, with an empty metal broiler tray on any shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread
  • after the bread is rested, make 1/2-inch-deep slashes with a wet serrated bread knife, in a cross pattern.  slide loaf onto the hot stone. pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the boiler tray, and quickly close the oven door.  bake for 45 minutes, or until richly browned and firm.  smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time
  • allow loaf to cool on a rack before eating

enjoy!

butternut squash squares w/ chocolate drizzle + sea salt, a virtual friendsgiving + a giveaway! /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

it's one last hurrah, before we hang up the thanksgiving hat and move on.  but before we do, there's a few things we need to take care of.  first! this week we're celebrating a virtual friendsgiving, hosted by renee, from will frolic for food and j.q. dickinson salt company!  some of my favorite blogger friends will be sharing really rad thanksgiving dishes, menus, tips, the list goes on (you can follow on instagram by using the hashtag: #jqdfriendsgiving or follow along here)!  plus, i'm giving away a bottle of j.q. dickinson company's beautiful salt.  rarely do i call salt beautiful, but after watching this video on how they develop their salt, and watching the care and attention that goes into it, i've found an such an appreciation for their process.  i've been enjoying this salt on just about everything, from roasted veggies, to topping weekend eggie breakfasts, to sprinkling it on my sweets!  i can't find enough ways to use it!

if you've hung around this space enough, you're probably aware that i love sprinkling flecks of salt on anything made in combination with chocolate.  which brings me to these butternut squash bars!  there are so many recipes out there that i've been meaning to make, then months (and sometime years) go by, and then i'm reminded of them and kicking myself for how much time has gone by.  case in point,  laura's banana bread granola bars with chocolate drizzles! well, the baking stars aligned last week and i finally made them with a few seasonal changes.  i thought friendsgiving called for more of a pumpkin bread granola bar situation, and from there i loaded these babes up with some warm spices and added a few festive pumpkin seeds.  these butternut bars came together so delightfully, they're sweet enough to count for dessert, but hearty enough to enjoy in the morning as a sturdy breakfast.  they are totally a new favorite non-treat, treat!

***for the giveaway! one lucky winner will receive a jar of j.q. dickinson salt company salt, wrapped in its personal little burlap bag!  just leave a comment below, and i will pick a winner at random.  contest ends friday, november 28th at 6pm!

happy almost thanksgiving friends! xo

butternut squash squares w/ chocolate drizzle + sea salt (v + gf)

barely adapted from The First Mess

| makes 32 bars |

bars

  • 1 cup butternut squash puree
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
  • 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup (preferably grade b)
  • 1 tablespoon unrefined extra virgin coconut oil, more for greasing pan
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup puffed quinoa (or puffed brown rice, puffed millet, etc.)
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup chopped pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  •  1/4 cup cacao nibs (or dairy-free chocolate chips)
  • large grain sea salt for sprinkling

chocolate drizzle

  • 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil

instructions

  • preheat oven to 350° and line a 8x11-inch pan with parchment paper (make sure it's a big enough piece to allow overhang).  set aside.
  • in a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients, until mixed and creamy.  in another large bowl, combine the oats, puffed quinoa, nuts, seeds, and cacao nibs.  add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix for a couple minutes, until everything coated and mixed thoroughly.  transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan, and bake in the center of your oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.
  • remove from oven and place on a cooling rack; allow bars to cool completely before cutting.  with a sharp knife cut the bars into even squares
  • in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water, add the chocolate and coconut oil; stir with a spatula until melted.  using a fork, drizzle the chocolate over the bars; transfer to refrigerator for 10 minutes (you want the chocolate half set).  remove from fridge and sprinkle with as much or as little sea salt as desired.  place back in the fridge until chocolate has completely set  
  • bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for roughly 4-5 days 

enjoy!