I get given boxes of chocolates by my mother-in-law occasionally, but they always have wheat in. Added to that the amount of dairy in chocolates is enough to cause me trouble. I used to squeeze all the chocolates in a mixed box to find the ones that were firm (fortunately husband loves soft-centred chocolates) but mostly now I have just given up buying chocolates.
We have had about three hot days this summer, and thoughts turn to ice-cream. I keep coming across people posting about chocolate sorbet. This seemed a great way of having two types of treats at once.
This sorbet is very intense, and one small scoop is enough for me. It would be great with raspberries or other (more…)
I just want you to know that I don’t know and don’t claim to know how to cook everything. Some things I’m not interested in and some things…well, intimidate even me. I suppose the biggest factor in trying something new is giving myself enough time to fiddle with it and being able to live if it’s not 100% successful.
I’ve come to know Jeff Larsen who also teaches gluten-free cooking classes in the SF bay area. There are some things we do which are very similar and some things we do differently. Either way, there’s a language we both speak and it’s been a pleasure getting to know him. I mention him because he teaches a number of classes around Asian cooking, specifically dumplings. I have had a very good gluten-free pot sticker from Feel Good Foods but there’s nothing like (more…)
Running out of gluten-free and dairy-free lunch ideas for your kids lunchboxes for school or summer camp? This can be a particular challenge when most traditional options revolve around bread and cheese. Of course you can always use gluten-free bread to make the traditional turkey or peanut butter and jelly, but why not think outside the standard lunch box fare and prepare a fresh salad? Children are often big fans of Caesar salad for the creamy dressing, pleasantly non-bitter romaine lettuce and the crunchy croutons. I love to use Easy Lunchboxes since it’s easy to keep everything separated; the croutons would be a bit mushy if I put them on in the morning!
I usually make this dressing with Parmesan cheese but have had a few people request a dairy-free version. I adapted this recipe, which is a fan favorite, by eliminating the cheese and adding (more…)
Bryan loves corn dogs and for many years I would even take a bite of one of them. It was a texture thing to me…I always thought that the corn bread batter would be soggy and mushy and I wanted nothing to do with them. When Bryan came to visit me in California we picked up a box for him (they weren’t gluten-free), but when he left I still had half a box…they ended up in the trash. I told him at some point I will give them a try.
A few months ago I as fortunate enough to sample some of the Applegate Farms new corn dogs- they were delicious!! To my surprise the coating was crunch and not soggy at all. Ever since Bryan has been asking for me to make some…he would really love them to be full of gluten but he’s a good sport and eats what I make. Maybe I’ll surprise him and make some regular ones for him anyway.
Yesterday I decided to make some mini corn dogs just to see how they would (more…)
Here’s our latest and favorite gluten-free (and dairy-free) bread recipe. This gluten-free bread has a terrific springiness and is neither too dry or too wet. And, it has a wonderful yeasty flavor and calls for simple ingredients that are easy to find.
When followed exactly this recipe is consistently dependable. The batter rises quickly and as the loaf bakes it doesn’t bubble over the sides of the pan. As it cools it doesn’t cave in.
It’s highly recommended that you use a good kitchen scale to weigh ingredients, don’t substitute with other gluten-free ingredients and use an instant read digital thermometer to know when your bread is done. And if you have a good stand mixer that helps too.
You will see two out-of-the-ordinary recommendations in our new gluten-free bread recipe. The directions call for using both(more…)
I was sitting at the table, reviewing one of my recipes which had not been tested yet for my cookbook. Ranch dressing is one of those items you would assume would be gluten-free until you look at the label. Then you also might see all of the other ingredients that aren’t so appealing.
My kids are big fans of ranch dressing so I thought, why not try it right now? I normally don’t make everything from scratch but I was curious to see if it was worth it to make my own.
Assuming you have the ingredients in your kitchen (which I usually do), this can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes. It’s always better if it sets but if you can’t wait, don’t worry, it’s still great.
When I made it, I called the kids over for a taste test. They grabbed some carrots from the fridge and dug in. My son then announced (more…)
I’ve held on to this recipe for months and am wondering why the heck I waited this long to make it. I guess there just isn’t enough time in the day to try each and every single recipe I have pinned, tweeted and Facebooked.
But there will always be enough time for brownies, always. Even if they are months in the (more…)
I’m going to really try to not tell a super long story so you can get right to this recipe. Promise.
A friend of mine brought me one of these a few weeks ago; she had just made a batch and I was very excited to try them. I pictured it being more like a crab cake when she described it but it was closer to a griddle cake since it’s flat.
My 6 year old daughter was in the room when she arrived with the sample. I’m thinking, “Oh yeah, it’s doesn’t have sugar. My daughter won’t want this.” Wrong.
“What’s that, Mama?” she asked.
“Something with quinoa; I don’t think you’ll like it.” (It smelled so good, I really did not want to share this).
“Can I have some?”
“Sure honey” and I gave her a piece.
“Uhmm, that’s good!” she says, “Can I have more?”. At least she has good manners.
“Of course, you can. I’ll give you half.” But inside I was like, really? You want this? Woe is me. Never assume what your kids will and won’t eat. I think I said that.
So, I got the recipe from my friend. It had come from her sister who had gotten it from a magazine in Southern California so I don’t know the exact source. I did change some of the amounts and ingredients as well. If I find out where it came from, I will update the post.
I made the quinoa cakes the next week. Surprisingly, everyone (8 year old son and husband included) loved them. What a great way to get some healthy protein for us all! I hope you will give it a try. (more…)
I have lived in Northern California for over a decade and I have never made cioppino until last week. I have no idea why; maybe it seemed intimidating, even to me! After having it at a friend’s house over the holidays and seeing how simple it was, I knew it was time for me to tackle it.
The recipe she used was this one from Giada de Laurentiis which was delicious, of course, but one thing she (my friend, not Giada) complained about was the availability (and cost) of the fish stock. Since I often make seafood risotto with chicken stock, I was curious if I could pull it off for cioppino as well.
After making it last weekend for some friends, the results were unanimous; the chicken stock not only made the broth lighter but it was less salty. I decided to use the juice from the canned clams to add some extra flavor. With the exception of the halibut and the crab (it’s high season for Dungeness right now), the other fish was frozen (shrimp and scallops) or from a (more…)
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