Well said!

I don't know how, after years of enjoying Ms. Ahearn's writing, I missed this article.

It is one of the best descriptions of gluten-free baking and eating I've ever read, and is enormously helpful in explaining the different types of flours. If you are new to the gluten-free ride, this article is for you. If you've been on it for awhile, you probably won't pick up anything new, but, like me, you will want to leap from your chair and shout, "Amen! Preach it, sistah!"

Also, the first of her "secrets" is one of the first things I always say to people going gluten-free:

"Focus first on foods that are naturally gluten-free. There is so much bounty." Shauna Ahearn

I always tell people to make a list of foods familiar they love that are already gluten-free; steak and potatoes, spinach salad, eggs with cheese, Snickers bars, Breyers mint chocolate chip ice cream, whatever. Then, armed with the list, try to eat only those foods for a couple of weeks, with a stop at Outback Steakhouse for a Chocolate Thunder from Down Under along the way. It will make the transition insanely easier.

I promise you this: You do NOT have to live on rice and chicken for the rest of your life. True, you may never get a good piece of crusty, chewy bread again. I'll be honest about that. But you'll survive. Thrive, actually, because you will be WELL. And with all of the incredible and delicious foods out there that we are so blessed to have at our fingertips, you will rejoice.

Why doesn't my food look like that?

Bea has yet another beautiful clafoutis recipe over at La Tartine Gourmande. Defintely try making it, because it is sure to be yummy, but don't expect yours to look like hers! Utterly incredible, that woman is. How does she find such perfectly congruous strawberries?

Huh

I just ate the crappiest hot dog in the world. No, seriously, it was awful. I think sweet husband bought them at Walmart. Or maybe from the sewer. Either way, it was gross, but I was starving because I had the worst day ever at work and only ate about 4 bites of gluten free spaghetti all day, so I ate the whole thing.

Anyway, case in point: The sewer dogs, made of probably rat (although they said "chicken," which wasn't in quotes, but should have been) actually said GLUTEN-FREE on the label. Good job, America! We're gettin' good at this here labelin' thang!

Also, I would just like to say that I made steak on the grill last night, while tonight, my hubby made rat dogs. I win!That photo just made me nauseaous. It made my thoughts a little too real. So, I made it teeny tiny. I think that helps.

The Sweetest Saltiest Thing

Sometimes you just need a date with your hubby.

After all, you did marry him for a reason, and it's nice to actually see him once in a while and notice all of those reasons and more! For example, when you got married, you didn't know you were marrying a sushi roll aficionado. Heck, you didn't even know you liked sushi!

Two years of marriage is barrelling toward us and about to zip past like a beemer on 270. (In non-rush hour, of course.) We're finding more and more that it's really easy to let life fly by without taking a break to hang out with each other, what with middle school English to teach, a new screen door to install, and cats to toilet train. (No, I'm not kidding.) But we sure to love to hang out with each other, and when we do, a sushi date is always in order.

Sushi is pretty easy to come by gluten-free. You just need to make sure to speak with your sushi chef. Be sure to do the following:

1. Ask the chef if the rice has any wheat starch or gluten added to it to make it stickier. Sometimes a hidden trick!

2. Ask the chef the rice was cooked with soy sauce. Most all soy sauce has gluten.

3. Check that the individual items do not include soy sauce or tempura in the dressings and such. Sometimes sushi rolls will have battered or fried pieces of fish. Simpler is better; be sure you know each kind of fish, veggie or other ingredient that will be added.

4. Bring your own gluten-free soy sauce. La Choy low-sodium is our favorite.

5. Go on a perfect, lovely, first real night of warm summer, sit outside and stare dreamily at your man.

Actually, that last step is optional. But I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Yum!

Delicious.

Totally delicious.

I even cooked mine in the super ease of the toaster over on my counter. They aren't cheap, but considering how much I love breaded crispy chicken goodness, and how much I've missed it, worth every penny!

Mothers' Day

My mama loves carrot cake.

I do not. In fact, I can never remember how to spell carrot. (Carrott? Carott? Good thing I teach English.)

Carrot cake (thanks, spellcheck!) seems to have a love/hate relationship with humanity. You either love it, or you hate it. And since my poor mama loves it, and the rest of our family loves chocolate, no one ever remembers her. This year, I was darned to remember her, and make some just for her.

I have to say, I was pleased with the result. I was not pleased with the carrots sprayed all over the my kitchen at the first use of the mini food processor I got as a wedding gift almost two years ago. (Clearly, I was made to write a food blog, what with my mastery of small kitchen appliances and all.) While I'm not carrot cake's biggest fan, I really liked this one. It earned contented sighs all around from gluten lovers and non-gluten lovers alike.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Adapted from: recipezaar.com
Ingredients
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup white sugar *I used organic
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup potato starch*I used tapioca starch because I had it on hand
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 tablespoons water *Huh, I forgot the water...oh well, it turned out fine!
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) *I used walnuts
1 1/2 cups packed grated carrots (about 4 medium carrots)

For Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
drops of milk as needed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix well.
3. Add all remaining ingredients except for nuts and carrots. Mix well, being sure that no lumps remain in the batter.
4. Mix in carrots and nuts.
5. Pour batter into greased 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan.Bake 45-55 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center tests clean.
6. For icing: Combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Beat very well. Add a few drops of milk as needed.
7. Spread icing on cooled cake. Eat and enjoy!

*Note: You can always choose to throw ingredients together willy-nilly, not really measuring or being careful. That's what I do!*

*I doubled this recipe, which I highly recommend. I then made a layer cake with two round cake pans. (Do you really call those silicone things "pans"? Man I love me my silicone, you can't burn anything!) I put a layer of cream cheese frosting in between. Yum!*

Happy Mothers' Day!

Brownies

The other day, I went on visit to Trader Joe's. I hadn't been there in a long while because I generally find their supply of gluten free items lacking. I figured I'd check and see if they had anything new. As I wandered the aisles, I thought to myself, "How can be the best wife ever and totally bless my husband and make him super happy? I know, I'll make him brownies! He loves brownies!"

Ok, fine. I was actually thinking, "Good crap, I really want a brownie. It is cold and drizzly and my head hurts from being around 13-year-olds all day and I really want a brownie. I wonder if I can get my husband to make them for me while I take an early evening nap?"

Thus, my brownie mix quest began. When I walked over to the baking section (because Heaven only knows just how much I was NOT going to do this brownie thing from scratch) I was dismayed to find it to be so miniscule. And yet, low and behold, they had ONE (yes, ONE) gluten-free mix, and it was for brownies! I had no idea if they would be any good, but did I care? No way. Brownies I wanted and brownies it would be.

























Trader Joe's, let me just say, you blew me away! I seriously commend you. These just might be the best gluten-free brownies I've had, including the ones I make from scratch! They are very, very simple and whole in term of ingredients as well. The two flours are my pride and joy, sweet rice flour, and amaranth flour. I need to experiment with amaranth more! (By the way, quick tip: Whenever you try something gluten-free and pre-packaged, be sure to check out the ingredient list. Heck, you probably do this automatically anyway, or at least you should. It's a great way to pick up some good idea for flours and ingredients for homemade foods.)

I did add an extra egg (the recipe only calls for one, but that seemed skimpy to me for a nice, fudgy brownie), some chocolate chips and walnuts.

The best part? Guess how much the bag was? No, you'll never guess. Only $2.99! Great job, TJ's! It drives me crazy when gluten-free brownie mixes are six bucks. C'mon, people, seriously. Back in my gluten heyday I could grab a mix box on sale for a dollar. There is no need to sucker punch me with a six dollar price tag, it's just annoying.

Happy eats!