October 2, 2012

As you might know, I write a column for SeriousEats.com. Recently one of their readers requested a gluten-free adaptation of her mom's hush puppy recipe. She wrote, "The recipe makes 'plain jane' hush puppies. Since they are so light and fluffy, they remind me of a savory doughnut hole!"

A savory doughnut hole? Sign me up! As promised, the recipe was indeed "plain jane." The flour mixture was a simple blend of . . . keep reading

September 19, 2012

Soft pretzels are just about perfect. They're chewy, salty and great with everything from a beer to a salad. The thing is: they're chewy. And gluten-free flour doesn't do chewy well.

But this year I decided I didn't want to go through another football season or Oktoberfest without one of these chewy wonders.  A few months ago, I started tinkering with a soft pretzel recipe.

Since gluten, the protein found in wheat and other grains, is responsible for the distinctive soft pretzel chew, I began by focusing on the flour blend. . . . keep reading

August 13, 2012

S'mores, crumb crusts, a quick ice cream sandwich. All of these treats are possible thanks to a humble childhood snack: the graham cracker. S'mores probably weren't what Sylvester Graham had in mind back in 1829 when he created a "honey health biscuit" made from whole grains. Most of today's graham crackers are made from refined wheat flour. If you are on a gluten-free diet, this is a problem, of course. However, gluten-free grahams are easy to make at home. And even if you aren't gluten-free, making homemade graham crackers is a fun--and tasty--way to experience classic graham crackers in a new way . . . keep reading

July 30, 2012

Chicken dishes that play with sweet and savory flavors are always popular (especially with kids!). This recipe for pineapple chicken strips is served with a peanut butter dipping sauce. If you are allergic to peanuts, either omit the dipping sauce or replace the peanut butter with a peanut-free spread or other nut butter. . . . keep reading

July 16, 2012

When it's too hot to turn on the oven, make this easy mussel dish. In the summer, I serve it with gluten-free bread and a salad. That's it! You can also serve the mussels over pasta. To do so, simply toss the pasta with a little olive oil and then add the cooked mussels. That's it!

. . . keep reading

June 18, 2012

While I've never eaten a pound of pasta in a sitting, Cacio e Pepe makes me want to try. Made with only four ingredients: pasta, parmesan cheese, black pepper, and butter, this pasta dish is as simple as it is comforting. There's not a riot of flavors going on here. And, if you are like me, sometimes that's just what you need.

Last week Dale Talde and the folks at SeriousEats.com reminded me how much I love this dish thanks to their neat video on how to make Cacio e Pepe.

June 14, 2012

If I close my eyes, I can hear it: the call of summer berries. OK, maybe that's just my stomach talking but nonetheless it's berry season. And you know what that means--it's shortcake season!

Shortcakes are really just sweetened biscuits. Most traditional (read: wheat-filled) shortcakes, use white flour. I wondered how shortcakes made with a blend of whole-grain flours might taste. Would the mild, nutty flavor of the brown rice and sorghum enhance or overpower the delicate berries?

June 11, 2012

Ah, summer. The season where I try to avoid heating up the kitchen as much as possible. This recipe, which only takes about 30 minutes, cooks in just one pan. And you don't turn on the oven.

Feel free to swap the spinach with any greens that look good to you at the market or whatever you have fresh from the garden. Of course, some greens take longer to cook than spinach. Adjust as needed. 

May 31, 2012

Remember the warm, cheesy garlic bread that Italian restaurants serve before a meal? This recipe makes that style garlic bread. It isn't fancy bread... . . . keep reading

May 17, 2012

The Schwan's truck was one of the great mysteries of my childhood. It stopped at my aunt's house, delivering chips, cakes, and cookies, but why didn't it ever stop at mine? This baffled me. The most exciting thing delivered to our house was, well nothing as exciting as chips and cookies, let me tell you. While my cousins happily scarfed down their Schwan's potato chips, my favorite treat were the powdered sugar-coated lemon shortbread cookies. I don't remember what Schwan's technically called them, but now I know these cookies as "lemon coolers."

This recipe recreates those lemon cookies. Thanks to the lack of a gluten structure, this version is especially tender. And, as with the Schwan's cookies, you must beware of the powdered sugar dust all over your lips.

. . . keep reading

May 14, 2012

The fact that lobster goes on sale regularly around here is just one of the many perks to living in this area (upstate New York. Near Albany). Last week, lobster was only $6.99 a pound. I couldn't pass that up. So I picked up a few at the store for dinner. There were three of us eating; so I asked for five lobsters. And, as you probably guessed, I had leftovers. What a glorious problem to experience, leftover lobster

I made this quick and easy lobster and asparagus pasta in a garlic parmesan cream sauce with the leftover lobster. While, the meal only took about 30 minutes, it didn't taste like a "quick cook." meal. 

Here's how to make this easy and elegant gluten-free pasta dish: . . . keep reading

May 11, 2012

Are you celebrating Mother's Day? Are you cooking anything special?

I think I'll make a batch of these chocolate chip cookie pancakes for my mom. Unlike other chocolate chip pancakes, which just add chocolate chips to regular pancake batter, this recipe uses brown sugar, butter, and a generous amount of vanilla to taste like, well, chocolate chip cookies! They're light, fluffy, and, thanks to the dark chocolate chips, special enough for a holiday. 

And if you're not celebrating Mother's Day, these pancakes are perfect for any special breakfast. 

May 10, 2012

Don't you love meals that taste like "Sunday Supper" but take only a few minutes? This is one of those meals! It only takes 15 minutes minutes to make! That's like...someone took a 30-minute meal and cut it in half. ;-)

Here's how to get these pork chops from the grocery store to your plate: . . . keep reading

May 4, 2012

One Sunday I woke up craving cinnamon buns. Yum, right? But making a batch of cinnamon buns means mixing dough, allowing it to rise, and then, of course, baking. All told, I wouldn't have eaten the cinnamon buns I craved until the afternoon.

And my craving didn't want to wait that long! I had things to do. (Like eating breakfast.) Since it was a "waffle-Sunday" in our house, I decided to try making a batch of "cinnamon bun waffles."

Oh my goodness. Just writing about them makes me want to run into the kitchen and make a batch! I love these waffles.

At first I thought about simply adding ground cinnamon to my waffle recipe. But that wouldn't . . . keep reading

May 3, 2012

Happily, I was fine! (And not only am I gluten-free, I also need to avoid nuts and sesame.) The waitress assigned to our table understood Carrabba's gluten-free menu and, as directed on the menu, I ordered everything without "grill baste."

My mom (who's also gluten-free) and I shared the . . . keep reading

May 1, 2012

Chocolate and strawberries are one of my favorite dessert combinations, which I usually enjoy in the form of chocolate-covered strawberries. So when a reader asked me to convert her mother's recipe for chocolate strawberry cheesecake tart, I lept at the chance. (And wondered why I'd never made a chocolate berry tart before!)

Although I hesitate to call this a quick dessert, it does come together rather quickly for a fruit tart. You make the chocolate-almond tart dough in a food processor in just minutes. And like the savory tart recipe we made recently, the dough gets pressed into the pan before chilling unlike traditional tart doughs that are chilled for several hours before being rolled out and put into a pan.

Preparing the New York cheesecake-like filling is the only step that requires a little time and special attention. Like a good cheesecake, the filling should be smooth and creamy, not lumpy and dry. To achieve a smooth cheesecake filling you need three things:

. . . keep reading