Tracey Allen's Blog, page 5

Free on Kindle The Sustainable Table: Take Back Your Plate

Adding to the free promotion - The Sustainable Table: Take Back Your Plate will be free for download from June 30-July 4th.

Also read the first two chapters of The Sun God Conspiracy and vote!

Here is a list of the previous freebies: 

Building a Passive Solar House: My Experience Shared will be free on Kindle from June 15th to June 19th. 

Do it Yourself Press Releases: Helping to Promote Your Organization will be free on  Kindle from June 20-24th.

Easy Gluten-free Lunches and Snacks: Simple Cookbook will be free on Kindle from June 25-29th.


Author Page http://amzn.com/e/B005E68KWA

Wanted Goat Facts, Stories, Memories, Recipes....all things goat.

I've been doing some research on all things goats....what a wonderful animal.  I've also noticed there is a great cultural importance of goats to various cultures - like cajeta is a national desert dish in Mexico....I've made it and really understand why it is - think delicious caramel sauce! And I've been hearing all kinds of stories of childhood memories of their mother making cheese, milk, etc. 

If you have an interesting fact about goats, a story or memory to tell (300 words or less) and/or recipe to share please contact me. Please note I plan to use the information provided in whole or in part in an upcoming book so any recipes must be your own and by submitting a story/memory you give permission for use.  If you would like a blog, website or name credit please let me know and provide it in the same email.  Here is to looking forward to learning even more about the importance of goats....who are really unique characters to begin with!

New Adventure - Making Goat Cheese

To add to my skills - making goat cheese!  We are starting with soft cheese but hope to move to the harder cheeses too - should be fun.  Doesn't appear to be complicated but does take patience and time waiting to get the finished product. The Great Canadian Soap Company is hoping to expand in the near future to offering a dairy with goat milk products.  I'll keep you posted.

Here is there Indiegogo Campaign if you could like to contribute...and get some great soap products in the process.  

Gluten-free Cooking Party - Thoughts?

In 2012 and early 2013 I offered gluten-free cooking classes, where I found a location, took all my equipment, ingredients, etc and set up for a pre-registered cooking class.  They all sold out.  Now this summer I'm offering my classes as part of Annie's Table in New London.  For this fall/winter I'm considering offering gluten-free cooking parties and welcome your thoughts on it.

How I see it working? Someone hires me for a set rate to be determine for a 2-3 hour cooking/educational session on gluten-free cooking.  Location is their house/kitchen.  Invitees can be just the house hiring me or they can add people at no additional charge. Menu of items and ingredients will be determined ahead of time.  Ingredients purchased by host.  I come and provide an interactive onsite gluten-free cooking class with the items being made eaten or staying with the host.

Thinking of charging $100 for two hour session or $50/hour. Menu items can be themed i.e. Middle Eastern, etc. Breads i.e wraps, bread, hamburger buns, etc or pastry like pies, biscuits, etc., breakfast items, snack items, appetizers, etc.

Dandelions - Tis the Season - Get them while you can!

Dandelions are hated by urban green grass fanatics and loved by those that see their real benefits.  As part of my work I often do 'farm calls' and love to talking to farmers.  While on a recent visit we got talking about the 'new crop' dandelions and 'how hard they are to grow!', yes it appears if you want them to grow they just might not.  The new crop for dandelions has a fairly good future market potential with some toting it as a cancer cure - see CBC article on it. So to give you a heads up - this is the time of year to dig them up (or in the fall after the second crop appears and flowers die), clean the roots up (see a clean root and dirty root pictured at left), roast them in a oven and then grind them up to make a tea.  The tea of dandelion coffee doesn't really have much taste and please don't add white sugar as that would really defeat your goal in a healthy drink...local honey maybe...since Canadian honey doesn't have corn syrup added to it, like some imports do.

Uses for Dandelions:
- salad greens (when they are young and not yet budding flowers_
- flowers minus the green leaves for making dandelion wine, jam, etc.
- roots for roasting making into to tea.

Here is  a great website to discuss the Health Benefits of Dandelions: that is really worth the read.  A gift from nature - there for us.

Free Kindle Book Promotion: June 15th to June 29th

Enjoy some upcoming promotions of three of my four books:

Building a Passive Solar House: My Experience Shared will be free on Kindle from June 15th to June 19th. 

Do it Yourself Press Releases: Helping to Promote Your Organization will be free on Kindle from June 20-24th.

Easy Gluten-free Lunches and Snacks: Simple Cookbook will be free on Kindle from June 25-29th.


Author Page http://amzn.com/e/B005E68KWA

Free Kindle Book Promotion: June 14th to June 29th

Enjoy some upcoming promotions of three of my four books:

Building a Passive Solar House: My Experience Shared will be free on Kindle from June 14th to June 19th. 

Do it Yourself Press Releases: Helping to Promote Your Organization will be free on Kindle from June 20-24th.

Easy Gluten-free Lunches and Snacks: Simple Cookbook will be free on Kindle from June 25-29th.

Great grain for Celiacs or Gluten-free Diets - Sorghum

I can't do corn and what is in pretty well all gluten-free foods in the grocery stores - corn.  So did some research and found out that sorghum is a grain related to corn with similar properties for cooking.  I use sorghum in my all in one flour for all my cooking.  Love it and it has nutritional value too .
Now I had heard that sorghum can be used as small popcorn so you will notice I have four different seed varieties of sorghum the Tarahumara popping sorghum for making a smaller popcorn, then there is the white broom corn...that - get this - is used to make brooms....yep worth the $3.00 for a package of seeds just to see what it looks like, I may or may not make a broom.  For good measure I decided to try Sorghum red - red sweet and Mennonite since they both sounded neat.  If they grow - I will post the pictures.  Added bonus on sorghum is the stalks are used to make syrup...maybe I'll try that too.  I'm looking forward seeing the different types grow. 

Fruit Trees, bushes and more Planted

The vineyard is planted - speaking about grape vines....complete with lavender planted underfoot.  We have pictured at top left 28 blueberry bushes, then 46 grape vines (top right), 5 black currant bushes (bottom left) and about 10 various types of cherries - bush variety(bottom right).  Strawberries, rhubarb, black raspberries, blackberries, aronia berry and goji are in too! The next few years should be fruitful - ha! Then we have our fruit trees - chum (half cherry half plum), Asian pear (looks like an apple and tastes like a pear), paw paw and regular plum so far.  Hazelnut trees are doing well since being planted last year and this year we added two almond trees....really hoping they last the winter.

I think we are finished our fruit planting for this year.

Annie's Table to Host Gluten-free Cooking Classes

-- For Immediate Release        --
     
Annie's Table to Host  Gluten-free Cooking Classes     

    (New London, PEI) June 7th, 2013 – Annie's Table in New    London, PEI will host several gluten-free cooking class this summer.    The classes are designed for  those suffering from celiac,  gluten-free sensitivities and those wishing to eliminate gluten from their    diets. With the coming tourist season these classes will be ideal for bed and breakfast owners and restaurants wishing to offer a gluten-free  option. 

Anne-Marie Leroux the owner of Annie's Table is pleased to welcome Tracey Allen, author of Easy Gluten-free Lunches and Snacks: Simple Cookbook to teach a cooking class saying, “Tracey is joining us at the studio this summer to share her expertise in cooking gluten-free. She will cover a range of gluten-free products including biscuits, pies, bread, wraps, and     
more.”     

Gluten-free Pastry and Biscuits
Friday, June 14th 10 – 12
Description: As someone who truly enjoyed making pies and biscuits before being celiac, it is exciting to finally have gluten free recipes that everyone can eat. Using a simple one flour mix for all baking, come join me in creating some scrump-delicious
gluten-free pie and biscuits that the whole family will love.

Gluten-free Bread / Hamburger Buns, pita, wraps, and crackers
Friday, July 19 10 –12
Description: The cost of gluten-free bread products is climbing, yet it’s so easy to make your own bread at home with no special equipment needed. In this class we will make wraps, pita, and crackers all from one simple recipe! They’re so easy and taste so good you won’t believe they’re gluten-free.

Gluten-free  Lunches & Snacks (Quinoa Salad, Quinoa falafel, & snack bars)
Friday, August 9th 10- 12
Description: In this class we will be using nutritious quinoa to make some great dishes for adults and kids alike. We will be       
starting this class with with quinoa salad and quinoa falafel sandwiches. The class will finish with a recipe for easy and        gluten-free snack bars -  great for taking on the go!


For more information on cooking classes or to register visit Annie's  Table http://annies-table.com/    Annie's Table is a place to learn in a beautiful New London, PEI setting with Chef Norm and guest presenters teaching you the love of food and preparing
it.

Why eat gluten-free? A large number of people have celiac disease or gluten intolerance and this prevents them from eating foods that contains gluten. Such foods are: wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, and other grains.  Keeping a gluten-free diet can        be a challenge as gluten in various forms is found in a large number of products, especially processed where there are ingredients that contain gluten but are not readily identifiable.

Tracey Allen has been home cooking for over 27 years and gardening for over 15 years, while writing articles on        
various topics as a member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada. Currently she has three published books - The   Sustainable Table: Take Back Your  Plate, Building a Passive Solar House: My Experience Shared, and Do It Yourself Press
Releases. She lives in an earth-berm, ICF, passive solar house (video house tour  http://youtu.be/33IWs4H3kL4 ) with her husband. Allen is working toward creating a sustainable food supply for her and her family in Prince Edward Island, Canada. For more information or to read her blog visit  www.simplifyandsave.ca      
  
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For more information: 
Anne-Marie Leroux
(902) 314-9666
Email: anne-marieleroux@hotmail.com       
http://www.annies-table.com