Pairdd: Gluten-free Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

 So, life has been a little crazy around our little Burp! house lately. We've been busy meeting with our new Advisory Team, and launching our new Community Partner program for our MKEfoodies group. And we've been hatching a plan for a new business concept (more on that as things develop).

On top of everything, we've been working with a brand new Milwaukee company called Pairdd to develop gluten-free recipes for their brand new meal delivery service. 

The first recipe we sent over was one of our favorites -- Buffalo chicken mac & cheese. It's creamy and dreamy and a little bit spicy, with all the great flavors you expect from buffalo wings.

Now, you know we love to cook. But, when life gets busy, even we take short-cuts.  So, one of the things we love about Pairdd is that they do all the work for you.

All the vegetables are peeled, the ingredients pre-measured... it's perfect for a weeknight when you get home late and are seriously tempted to order takeout. Which is exactly the sort of night we were having when our Pairdd box arrived.

Needless to say, Peef was thrilled to just be able to take all the ingredients out of the box and whip dinner up in a flash. 

And the best part is, the meal was absolutely delicious.

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

Want to know more about Pairdd?

Their concept is simple:

1. First, check to make sure that you're within the Pairdd delivery area.
2. Then, select one of the delicious gluten-free recipes from the Pairddwebsite. (we'd recommend the gluten free Buffalo chicken mac & cheese... but then, we're a bit biased)
3. Pairdd does ALL shopping and measuring and delivers all the ingredients right to your door!
4. You simply follow the step-by-step recipe instructions... and voila!  A gourmet meal in no time.
5. If you're happy with your meal, head back to the Pairdd web site to refer a friend.  You get $20 off your next purchase, and your friends get $15 off their first purchase!

Even better, from now until SEPTEMBER 31, 2013 you can use the coupon code BURP50 to save 50% on your order... which means you get an amazing gluten-free meal of your choice for just $15. And if you're eyeing up our mac & cheese, be aware it will only be available through next week!

Let us know if you try them out!  We'd love to hear your feedback.

©BURP!

Tuna Chowder: Memories in Every Bowl

My mother was a great cook.  But, for some reason, she wasn't very good at making brothy soup. It could have been our uninitiated palates, but my siblings and I always joked that her chicken noodle soup tasted like water with vegetables floating in it... and her beef & barley soup was virtually the same, albeit a much darker hue.   Needless to say, none of us usually got overly excited when the word on the street was that we'd be having soup for dinner.

Unless it was tuna soup.

For some reason, my mother was a miracle worker with a can of tuna.  She made the best tuna salad sandwiches. The best casseroles. And, apparently, the very best soup.   

There are some dishes that , once eaten, leave an indelible impression. For me, "tuna soup" was one of those dishes. Mom made it regularly.  And she frequently brought it to pot-lucks and soup dinners.   The flavors of the soup were so indelibly ingrained in my head by the time I went to college that I took after my mother, cooking up pot after pot of this fantastic soup.  Of course, I had to give it my own special twist. So, I started calling it tuna "chowder" -- after all, a chowder is much more sophisticated sounding than a soup. Right?

Like tuna casserole, this deliciously creamy soup pulls together the comforting flavors of tuna, dill, cream, and peas.  But, rather than noodles, you'll find spoonful after spoonful of perfectly cooked potatoes that have been rendered deliciously tender by a gentle 20 minute milk bath.

It's quick. It's nourishing. And it's basic enough to appeal to the most frugal gourmet's budget.

Tuna chowder... it's what's for dinner.

Tuna Chowder


©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Chakchouka: Vegetable Ragout with Eggs

We're not vegetarians, but (as you've probably already noticed) we're big fans of vegetable-based fare.  Part of the reason is that we simply love veggies of all kinds.  But, we also love the challenge of coming up with recipes for whatever is freshest and best at the farmer's market.

We both came from solidly carnivorous households where meals were comprised of a protein, a vegetable, and some sort of starch. But, in the years since we've been married, our diets have changed considerably.  These days you'd be just as likely to find us mowing down on a plateful of roasted root vegetables, a slice of crusty bread and a glass of wine as you would a medium rare steak with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.  And, if it weren't for Peef's obsession with all things bacon, some people would probably suggest that we've moved even closer to the vegetarian side of things in the past few years.

I'm always surprised when someone comments that they find vegetarian food to be "boring" or "flavorless". On the contrary, I've discovered that the more vegetarian food I eat and prepare, the more appreciation I develop for the intricacies of flavor that can be created (*gasp*) without the addition of meat.  And this recipe is no exception.

Chakchouka is a Berber word, which means simply "vegetable ragout". The dish, which is also called Ojja in Tunisia, is traditionally made with a combination of paprika, onions, peppers, and tomatoes and seasoned with harissa.  It's usually served topped with eggs that have been poached in the juices from the vegetable mixture.  However, it can also be served with fried eggs -- or without any eggs at all.

This recipe is a version I developed after visiting Tunisia (read more about my love for North Africa here).  It utilizes the traditional harissa paste (which is quite spicy -- so it should be adjusted to your liking) and peppers. However, I've taken the liberty to use fire-roasted tomatoes and smoked paprika -- both items that impart a pleasantly sweet and smoky quality to the dish.

I love making this at the end of our Wisconsin growing season -- when we have plenty of fresh red and green peppers to choose from. It's delicious made with a combination of sweet bell peppers, wax peppers, and poblano peppers. But, any peppers you have on hand will do.  It also works wonderfully with previously frozen peppers or fire-roasted peppers, though you'll want to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Spicy. Smoky. And infinitely complex, chakchouka makes an incredibly delicious breakfast, served alongside a crusty loaf of French bread. However, it also makes a delightful light lunch scooped into warm pitas.  And, quite frankly, if you're determined to be carnivorous about it, chopped Spanish chorizo makes an excellent addition to the tomato & pepper mixture.


RECIPE: Chackchouka


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Burp! Goes Gluten Free: Guest Post on Celiac in the City

This weekend, Peef and I did something we’ve never done before. We eliminated wheat and gluten from our diets. 

Why did we do it?
We took part in the Gluten Free Challenge because we were curious about what it would take to adhere to a more strict set of dietary guidelines.  We’ve been reading Sarah’s Celiac in the City blog now for the better part of year.  And we’ve also connected with other GF bloggers like Melissa from Gluten Free for Good and  Jenn and her gluten-free husband from Jenn Cuisine. We know that gluten free foods are popping up everywhere — great news for the one in 133 people suffering from celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes a severe allergy to wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats.  But, we are also aware that avoiding gluten can still pose quite the challenge in our wheat-heavy world.

So, for two days (May 22-23) we decided to stand tall and proud, along with all of our GF blogger friends, and raise awareness about gluten intolerance. And it’s a little crazy how much we learned.  And we ate a ton of great food, including the gluten free burger you see in the photo!

And we wrote a guest post for Celiac in the City to tell you all about it!
Click on over, read our post, and give Sarah some good old fashioned blogger love!


©BURP! Where Food Happens