Recording!

I'm recording tomorrow! Hooray!

My good friend (who happens to be an awesome producer as well), James Perrella will be engineering the session. I can not wait. It has been way too long since I've gotten into the studio.
We're planning on recording guitar and vocal takes for two or three songs. Then we will listen back to them and write specific arrangements to record later. I have already started thinking about using a string quartet on at least one of the tracks, to enhance the haunting quality that the song already posses.
It's going to be a cool experience to really go in and fully arrange some of my work. Usually my band and I just kind of jam on a song until it feels right, this will be a bit more polished and give me a chance to craft the accompaniment parts which is a good skill to have.
These first three tracks are going to be part of a much larger c.d. that will be released in early May!

To hear some of my newer tracks check out: http://kellyizzo.bandcamp.com/

Family Time

This weekend my family came up to visit me at school. I am so glad that they did. I needed some cheering up. It's been a long, long year and having them around was comforting. I miss them already.
We had a great time though. We rented a hotel room with a small kitchen and had home cooked allergy free meals. The room ended up smelling like fish, but that's ok. I like fish. :) It was delicious.
Yesterday we went into White plains and did some shopping. My sister got some awesome new vibram five fingers! Then we had a nice, relaxing lunch at the Iron Tomato (I packed myself some leftover salmon and a salad). We walked around the city and enjoyed the beautiful, sunny day.

I love that we are so tightly knit. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have such a supportive family. They have really helped me through all this.
I am still having trouble with many foods, I had a few reactions over the weekend and even today, but I am fighting through it. I have to. I'm not going to let myself give up on my music and school work because I'm sick.
I'm still hard at work on "Alice Unraveled". I met with a girl today who gave me a lot of much needed help, and focus toward putting the performance on here at Purchase. It made me so excited! I feel like this is going to be great, many people seem to be interested in being a part of the production. There's so much to be done but I just can't wait to get started!

Dear Chocolate, I have missed you.

Last week I ordered myself some organic nectars raw cacao raspberry bars as a belated Valentine's Day present and today they finally got here!!

You have no idea how excited I was!

I haven't had a candy bar in almost a year. It's hard to find one without dairy or gluten or soy, but Organic Nectar's Raw Cacao Bars are completely safe. 

There's only six ingredients in the Cacao Raspberry Bars: 64% organic raw cacao, Organic Nectars Palmsweet (granulated coconut sugar), organic raspberry powder, non GMO sunflower lecithin, citric acid

The bars are raw vegan, kosher, free of refined sugars, dairy, soy and gluten and they are so so so delicious. My taste buds were singing! The chocolate is creamy and smooth and decedent just the way a good chocolate bar should be. I'm so glad I ordered three of them!!

Check out Organic Nectar's website. They make six different chocolate bars as well as agave dessert syrup, and cashew based gelato!

Hmmm, what tempting flavor should I buy next?:)

The Good, The Bad, (and The Bloated.)

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, it's been sort of a stressful year. Don't get me wrong there have been lots of great things happening, but my health has been questionable lately and it's hard to juggle classes and homework along with taking care of my food issues. Anyway, here's a little update on what's been going on in my life over the past few months, I'm sure I will elaborate on it all in the future.

The Good:
I really have been having a good year despite all the ups and downs. I love my classes, especially my master class. I always leave totally inspired and in a good mood. I love my friends, I have a great roommate and I feel like I'm learning a lot.

I've been working with a great friend of mine, Mike Hart, who has been helping me arrange the music for my original musical "Alice Unraveled". Mike is a super talented composer who usually works writing film scores and epic metal pieces. (You should check out his blog!) He brings a really cool point of view to the project, as he comes from a completely different musical background than I do, but his ideas are great and add so much life and color to my songs. Our collaboration is causing both of us to stretch creatively, and I can't wait to see how the show will unfold.
I'm planning on putting "Alice Unraveled" on next year as my senior project. I have so much to organize for it and am still searching for a director, actors, designer, etc. I know it will all come together eventually though, one thing at a time.

In addition to all that I have been working with James Perella (another great friend and excellent producer) on my Junior CD. We're planning on recording ten-ish songs this semester with full arrangements and the whole shebang. It's going to be nice to have a new cd out. I haven't done a full album since "Under the Lens" which I recorded my senior year of high school. It'll be great getting into the studio again.

The Bad (and the Bloated):
As you know if you've read my other posts I struggle with multiple food intolerances. I discovered my intolerances to gluten, casein and soy this summer before my junior year of college. Unfortunately, the intolerances just keep piling on. It seems that if I eat too much of a particular food I develop an intolerance to it. I am now having trouble with eggs, corn, all grains, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, etc) and possibly legumes and almonds along with my preexisting intolerances. Needless to say it's been very difficult to deal with. I have to cook all my meals in my dorm (with just a microwave) and have increasingly limited options. So that has been worrying me a bit.
Recently as I was searching celiac forums for advice I stumbled upon something called Lectin intolerance. I still don't know too much about it and there is not a lot of information about it online but it does seem to fit my symptoms. A lot of people have discussed it on celiac forums and it seems to be more common than doctors think. Unfortunately the only advice I am finding is to eliminate the foods that trouble you and possibly try to reintroduce them in the future. Right now I'm living on vegetables, fruit, coconut, fish, turkey, turnips and sweet potatoes basically. But I'm pushing through it and hoping that this limited diet will help me. Honestly I just want my energy back. I can deal with a limited diet as long as I can be healthy and happy again.

If you're interested in reading about lectin intolerance here are a few links:
http://www.krispin.com/lectin.html
http://www.allergy-details.com/food-allergy/allergy-lectin/
http://www.gfreefoodie.com/what-are-lectins-and-could-i-be-allergic-to-lectins/

Well that's all my ranting for now! I'll be posting again real soon :)

Readapting and Alice Unraveled

Well, I am back to college, still getting used to it.

This year is different because I have to cook all my meals for myself in my dorm room. 

My micro-fridge and blender are my best friend. I spend a lot of time preparing food so that I have lunches ready during the week because I don't have much time between classes. I don't mind though, I love to cook and It's definitely pushing me to be creative with the food I have in my fridge.

Today was a clean up day. I had some leftover beans that needed to get eaten.

Here's what I made:

Tahini Beany Tacos!

Tahini Beany Spread:

Ingredients:

-1/2 c Great Northern Beans 

-2 tsp Tahini

-2 T gluten free oats

-1 T water

-spices: chipotle powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper

Directions:

Pulse the oats in a blender until they form a powder. Add in the beans, tahini, water and spices (to taste). Pulse until all the beans are ground up into a paste. (You may need to stop in between pulses to stir occasionally.)

Spread over two gluten free corn tortillas and top with some cooked spinach and homemade salsa!

It was really delicious! Beats school food that's for sure!

I've also been busy writing lots of music. When I'm at school I feel like my mind doesn't stop. I am constantly running to a sheet of paper to scribble down a lyric or phrase. My classes are really inspiring, especially my master class. I really like my professor and the other students in the class, they are all very talented.

This Thursday in master class I brought in the title song from the musical I wrote called "Alice Unraveled". The show is loosely based on Lewis Carrol's "Alice in Wonderland" but it is not a children's story. It depicts one young girls struggle to regain control in her life after a sexual assault. Through the course of the play she is thrust into a chaotic, disturbing world, much like a nightmare. It's a story about growing older, and moving forward through difficult times.

I am trying to arrange the music from the show now and wanted some ideas on instrumentation. The people in my master class gave me some really interesting advice that I can not wait to test out in the studios!

Here's a video of me singing the song "Alice Unraveled" with a few pictures from the show. 

I've fallen in love with writing for stage. There's a second musical in the works!!

Dutch Baby Soufflé and My Not-So-Baby Sister

We took my younger sister to college this weekend. Today is her first day of her freshman year. It's so weird seeing her all grown up and going off to school. It was pretty hard on me. It was hard on all of us. I went through almost all the tissues we had brought in the car on the way home...I'm not good at holding my emotions in.

I was glad I got to drive down and help her unload. Her room looks awesome! All her posters, pictures, pillows and sheets go so well together, but don't match in an obnoxious way. Everything just sort of flows and feels comfortably eclectic. She's always had her own sense of style. She insisted on dressing herself even in preschool. I'll never forget some of her crazy outfits! She used to wear these vertical striped rainbow pants with a horizontal striped rainbow sweater, it was so cute. Now of course her style has matured a lot and she's a way better dresser than me. Whenever I wear her clothes I get compliments. She's developed a really good eye for putting cool things together.

It's been two days now since we dropped her off and I miss her so much already but I know she's gonna have a great year. She's so talented, a really hard worker and she seems to be adjusting well already. I'm really proud of her.

I have a habit of looking at recipes when I'm nervous (I'm not condoning using food as therapy but sometimes it's the only thing that seems to help) and yesterday, because I was still feeling rattled from Saturday, I decided to look for a comforting dessert to make for my family. I stumbled upon this recipe for Dutch Babies with a Chunky Blueberry Maple Sauce by One Frugal Foodie. It looked so delicious I just had to give it a try!

Here's the recipe (with a few adaptations):

Dutch Babies (Gluten free, casein free, soy free and nut free!)
serves 4-8


Ingredients:
-1 c gluten free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free all-purpose baking flour)
-1/8 tsp salt
-1 c milk alternative
-1 T Maple syrup
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-4 medium eggs (brought to room temperature)
-1/2 T palm oil shortening

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 425* F

-Pour the flour and salt into a medium sized bowl. Whisk in the milk alternative, maple syrup and vanilla, stirring until well combined.

-Whisk in the eggs one at a time until incorporated

-Put the shortening in a 9" pie plate and place it in the oven for a few mins or until the shortening is melted and the plate is good and heated.

-Remove the pie plate from the oven and swirl the shortening to coat the bottom of the plate.

-Pour in the egg batter and bake for 25-30 mins.

(The batter should rise up like a soufflé in the oven but will deflate as it cools creating a lower section in the middle that is perfect for pouring the blueberry sauce over.)

Chunky Blueberry and Sour Cherry Maple Sauce (I added sour cherries because we had some leftover from my Sour Cherry Blueberry Pie with a Buckwheat Crust)

Ingredients:
-1 c blueberries
-1 c sour cherries
-1 T lemon juice
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 c maple syrup
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp tapioca starch (or cornstarch)

Directions:
-Add berries, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon to a small saucepan.

-Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for a few mins

-Sprinkle in the tapioca starch, whisking to combine and continue to simmer for a few mins more to thicken.

That's it! Pretty Simple right? And also on the healthy side for a dessert. There are only about 155 calories in a slice (if you divide the dutch baby into eight slices). The original recipe says it serves 2-4 people but I think it could serve up to 8 people, although I ate a quarter of the pie by myself, haha. :)

Happy Birthday Mama!

Happy Birthday Mama!

Today is my Mom's birthday, so in honor of this special occasion we baked a sour cherry and blueberry pie. 

This was our first time making a gluten free, soy free, vegan pie so I was a little worried about how it would turn out.
It ended up tasting great! The buckwheat crust had a more rustic flavor that complimented the sweet and tangy berry filling.

Here's the recipe:

Gluten Free, Vegan, Soy free Buckwheat Crust 
* We made a double crust, if you don't want a top crust on your pie halve the recipe.

Ingredients:
* 3 cups gluten free buckwheat flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup vegetable shortening (we used spectrum naturals non-hydrogenated palm oil shortening)
* 1/4 c plus 2 T (or so) cold water

Directions:
* Mix flour and salt in a bowl
* Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course, mealy crumbs
* Add water and mix until it forms a dough (Add more water as necessary but be careful not to thin it out too much)

Sour Cherry, Blueberry Pie Filling


Ingredients:
*  4 cups sour cherries
* 1 1/2 cups blueberries
* 1/4 cup tapioca pearls (or 3-3 1/2 T cornstarch)
* 1 T lemon juice
* 1 1/4 cup sugar (we used about 1 c of white sugar and 1/4 c of light brown sugar)

Directions:
* Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425* F
* Combine the all ingredients in a large bowl and let stand for about 15 mins
* Place half the dough in between two layers of plastic wrap (so it doesn't fall apart) and roll it out into a 13-inch round, lay it into a 9 inch pie pan, and trim off the overhanging dough to 3/4 inch all around.
* Roll out the other half of the dough (in between plastic wrap) into a 12-inch round for the top crust and set aside.
* Pour Pie filling into the bottom crust
* Brush the overhanging edge of the bottom crust with cold water. Cover with top crust, then seal the edge, and trim.
* Cut a few steam vents into the top crust
* Bake the pie at 425* for 30 mins.
* When 3o mins have passed slip a baking sheet beneath the pie and reduce the oven temperature to 350* F. Bake until thick juices bubble through the vents on top of the pie. About 25-30 mins.
* Let cool completely on a rack before serving. Store at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Serves 8

Nutrition Facts: Calories- about 610 (per slice), not exactly diet food but I'm trying to gain weight and everyone deserves a treat now and then! Besides there are a lot of good nutrients in this pie.
Buckwheat is very healthy grain substitute. (I say "grain substitute" because it is actually not a grain it's a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel.) It is high in omega 3's, potassium, B vitamins and phosphorus and is higher in fiber and protein than wheat flour.
The palm oil shortening is better for you than regular vegetable shortening as well. It has no trans fat because it is non-hydrogenated and is a good source of healthy monounsaturated fat. It is also naturally cholesterol free!
Of course the blueberries and cherries add many valuable anti-oxidants, as well as vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene, magnesium, iron, potassium and folate.
Of course there is a lot of sugar in this pie but it is a dessert and sugar is good for your soul.
So eat up and feel good about what you're eating! :)