This last week we dusted off the BBQ, swept off the patio bricks, and set up all the seating with nice comfy cushions. We were all ready and eager for our first outdoor dining experience, of what we hope will be a long and warm season.  However, today it is a balmy 43 degrees with… Continue reading

For the last few years I have defaulted to three super easy desserts to serve at dinner parties.  If you entertain you know it’s more than enough work to come up with a menu, shop, cook a fabulous meal, and set a beautiful table.   Last year it was pears that I popped into the oven… Continue reading

On any given day if I ask my Husband what he wants for dinner most of the time the response will be “Chicken? Maybe fish?  Or we haven’t had a steak in a long time”.  Never does he lead with “how about eggplant? or broccoli?”.   Therefore I sometimes have to be sneaky when it comes… Continue reading

Last week one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, shared a vegan coconut cake.  Made with just 6 ingredients; one bowl, baked in a round cake pan for just 30 minutes.  Could it really be that simple? I admit, I was skeptical since I’ve had so many epic fails trying to conjure up baked… Continue reading

Today, I would like to give some credence to escarole.  It’s a New Year and I wanted to try something new, not just fall back on spinach or kale, my go-to’s in most recipes with leafy greens.  In the same category as endive and frisee; not really a lettuce, as it appears at first glance,… Continue reading

If there is one thing I can tell you about gluten free baking, it’s that if it works, keep doing it.  A mantra I have stood by through and through, and the reason why I have posted 8 slightly different variations of cheesecakes – so far. Baking gluten free is not always as simple as… Continue reading

  With a ton of blogs out there suggesting what you can recreate with all those Thanksgiving leftovers. I thought I would veer hard in the other direction and suggest a soup.  Winter Minestrone, Gluten Free of course, and not a bit turkey in it. Think about it, wouldn’t you better appreciate something light, yet… Continue reading

Lately, it seems that everyone is talking about Shirataki Noodles.  If you haven’t heard they are: gluten free, vegan, paleo, keto, and contain negligible calories. No wonder all the talk huh? I made the spaghetti/noodle variety last week for lunch with a spicy tomato sauce and olives.  It was great for a quick lunch, so… Continue reading

With this hot summer weather, I think everyone wishes they were on the French Riviera eating moules frites while sipping rosé, am I right?  Not the usual mis en scène here, though.  I often find myself caught in an endless cycle of summer salads, which I rotate depending on mood.  However, I am really proud that I… Continue reading

Every year around this time, I get the urge to bake.  It seems like ages since I last turned the oven on.  Lately, it has been too hot to even contemplate any form of baked good; that is until this week.  Yippee! This endeavor dovetailed nicely with the banner crop we have of zucchini this… Continue reading

Most summers I tend to obsess over one specific salad.  A salad that circulates through pot-lucks, bbq’s or just dinner at home.  Last summer I made this Quinoa Lentil Salad many, many times.  The previous summer, my garden was bursting with vegetables, which inspired this Summer Squash Salad with Feta and Herbs. This year a… Continue reading

Last month I enthusiastically shared my interest in Skinny Pasta, now one of my new go-to’s for a quick lunch.  As I previously told you; these noodles are virtually calorie free, carb free, no sodium, grain free, gluten free, vegan, full of fiber, oh and they come in different shapes too!  A lot of hype… Continue reading

Last week, while perusing Instagram, my daughter asked if I had ever made carrot cake.  Well, sure a long time ago B.C. (before Celiac’s) I did.  Back then I could bake just about anything with success, regular flour is… predictable.  Gluten free, well not so much. I love carrot cake, it’s a great way to… Continue reading

As you can imagine, I am perpetually on the hunt for new food trends.  Anything that can be adaptable here in my gluten free/vegan/sometimes vegetarian/meat lovers kitchen is a win.  However, it was my daughter who introduced me to Shirataki Noodles by Skinny Pasta- chip off the old block perhaps? Shirataki or Konjac noodles are… Continue reading

I wonder how many people eat eggplant on a regular basis?  It doesn’t seem to fall into our weekly dinner rotation as, say, broccoli or green beans. We like it, we do!  It’s not even that exotic or hard to find, we just forget about it perhaps. And then you cook some and remark “why… Continue reading

Back when my husband and I were first married, I found a no-knead overnight artisanal bread recipe in our local paper.  What a way to wow your family, or even better dinner guests!  The smell of freshly baked bread has a swoon-worthy effect every time. I forgot about the recipe throughout the years; having kids, moving… Continue reading

This week, I have been experimenting in the kitchen with a grain free-gluten free-dairy free-nut free muffin.  So far, this darn muffin troubles me.  Sure, I have come across a few recipes online with fabulous pictures of such muffins, which makes me wonder why mine won’t work?  They look good, but the middle of the… Continue reading

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for this fabulous black bean soup, hard to believe that a bag of God-knows-how-old dried beans  could produce such a remarkable bowl of soup.  I thank the crock pot for that. It was so easy that I felt we had to do it again, for  quality control… Continue reading

I have to admit although pasta is certainly in our regular dinner rotation, lasagna is not.  We love it  – of course, but it’s a lot of effort for a weeknight dinner. There is the option of no-boil noodles, sure, that would be a lot easier, however those noodles tend to be gummy, especially when reheated. … Continue reading

From my over stuffed pantry I unearthed 3 packages of dried beans while trying to find 2 packages of the same spaghetti for dinner.  To tell you the truth I have no idea how long they have been languishing in there.  Months? Years? The thing about dried beans, ancient in this case I fear,  is… Continue reading

My daughter regularly texts me obscure grocery items that she wants purchased – by me of course.  Last month it was: matcha powder, cocoa nibs, jackfruit and cardamon pods.  All with the intention of creating something she most likely has seen on Pinterest. Most of the time these specialty items are used once, then languish in the… Continue reading