My husband once told me that his favorite pie was a Key Lime Pie. I think Key Lime Pie is very Florida. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I didn't know much about Florida, so I really never understood what Key Lime Pie was all about. It sounds pretty fancy. Not just lime. Key lime. (Those are those tiny limes, right?)
Read MoreThis recipe is so basic- so easy- that I almost hesitate to include it on the blog. This recipe is so simple that I first copied it down on a small 5x7 notepad from the office. There are very few measurements-- "big Jell-O pudding box," "tub of Cool Whip," and "sliced bananas."
Read MoreI haven't baked anything that called for puff pastry since my son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease over 7 years ago. A friend recently recommended GeeFree Gluten-Free Puff Pastry and I happened to be near a Whole Foods the other day, so I picked up a box. With one "sheet," I made Pigs in a Blanket... because PIGS IN A BLANKET, duh. The other sheet sat around in my freezer for awhile until a few weeks ago when I needed a quick gluten-free dessert. After a quick search of apple desserts, I came across one that seemed perfect... a salted caramel apple tart!
Read MoreMy son's favorite flavor of ice cream is Salted Caramel. I blame Grom and our trip to Venice a few years ago for his sophisticated dessert palate. It's not really something worth blaming... I love salted caramel, too... but it was a daunting flavor to attempt to make at home. Have you ever made caramel? If you read the description of the dry burn method in Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, I guarantee you will be intimidated. But, like so many things in life, it's important to do & conquer those things that intimidate us. I did and the result (this Salted Caramel Torrone Ice Cream) was amazing. So, I'm here telling you that you need to face up to the things that intimidate you. Monday Mornings, that Pile of Laundry, Your Boss, heck- Your Kid, and yes, the Dry Burn Method. You can do it!
Read MoreI checked out Cook's Country America's Best Lost Recipes at the library the other day, and was immediately fascinated by some of the crazy-sounding recipes. I mean, Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake?!?! Apparently, it's really good.... but I'm still skeptical, too skeptical to attempt to degluten that one.
But, there was one recipe that intrigued me enough to attempt: Peach Puzzle Pie. I thought the puzzle part had to do with how the pie comes apart into pieces and each piece has it's own peach, like a circular peach puzzle. Seemed like a stretch, but ok. Buuut, as I read on, it turns out that the puzzle is actually waaaay cooler than that. The "puzzle" has to do with how a melted-butter-brown-sugar-peach sauce ends up magically in an upside down ramekin. Say, whaaaattt???
Read MoreAs I finally get around to adding this recipe to the blog, we are seriously in the Last Gasp of Summer. Yeah, the kids are back in school and the flowers are still blooming in the garden, but there are leaves on the ground and it's getting chilly enough to close windows at nighttime. And, in probably one of the biggest signs that we are moving to fall, there was a bin of pumpkins for sale right next to a bin of watermelon at my local grocery store!
So, get this recipe in before it's too late. Or, maybe you're one of the lucky ones where your season is starting to turn to spring (Hello Australia!) or you live somewhere constantly tropical. Either way, this Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet comes together super-quickly and is refreshing beyond belief.
Read MoreSometimes you feel like running 10 miles... and sometimes you just can't get out of bed. Sometimes you can read all of "War and Peace" in one sitting... and sometimes you can't stop binge watching House Hunters International. Sometimes you feel like making ice cream... and sometimes you don't. THIS is the recipe for those times. No-bake, make-ahead, frozen, rich, creamy & chocolatey.
Read MoreNothing says "summer" like a good old fashioned sloppy strawberry shortcake. Thick indulgent whipped cream, freshly-picked strawberries, and a flaky, buttery biscuit. I call dibs on seconds! This strawberry shortcake recipe is The Jam. It's so good, you should try it with all your summer berries. Or, heck, even just plain with a cup of coffee in the morning. So, go forth, pick your berries in season, and enjoy.
Read MoreYou've heard of breakfast for dinner, but have you heard of dessert for breakfast? I think this might just have to become a thing. A scoop of Gluten Free Coffee & Donuts Ice Cream is the perfect summer breakfast and I think you should definitely work it into your morning routine. Right after that early morning run, alright?
Read MoreIt's 7pm on a Sunday. You're wrapping up dinnertime, negotiating bath times, getting ready for pjs, and thinking about the week ahead. And, oh yeah, by the way, "Mom, tomorrow we're having a party in my class. I forgot to tell you. Can you send in a treat for me?"
You've been there, I know. I always keep a box of King Arthur GF Chocolate Cake Mix and even a tub of Duncan Hines frosting on hand... but, there are ways to make even a boxed mix something special. The techniques I'm about to share aren't exactly hard to do.... but they do take a couple of extra steps. That said, they're worth it and will give your GF kid the chance to safely taste the magic of a Hostess Cupcake. Marshmallow fluff pumped into the middle and all.
Read MoreDo you remember begging your mom to put these in your lunch? Hostess Snack Cakes? Maybe you wanted Twinkies or Ding Dongs or Tiger Tails... but they're really all the same thing, right? Tons of preservatives, almost sickeningly sweet, can survive a nuclear war... but oh-so delicious. According to Hostess, Ho-Hos are "so sweet, we had to name them twice."
Well, I do remember really wanting these rolls of goodness, but my son doesn't. He's never had them before. Ever. Last I checked, Hostess hadn't really cashed in on the big gluten-free food trend. Sooooo, challenge accepted!
Read MoreThis one is a tough one to post. See, these cookies are something special. I mean, really, something special. They are the cookie that I get the most compliments on and the most requests for. I bet you're wondering what they taste like. Maybe this crazy gluten-free baker just really likes corn, but in cookie form? That's crazytalk! Who wants a savory cookie? (Is that you?) Well, let me tell you who wants this cookie, you do. You and all your gluten-free friends and gluten-eating friends, to boot. So, what does it taste like? It's like creamed corn in cookie form. It's like a shortbread cookie with depth. It's like the best cookie you will ever eat. Period.
Read MoreI was thrilled when I first found this recipe for gluten-free ice cream sandwiches because my son had never known the thrill of those waxy vanilla ice cream sandwiches. You know, the ones wrapped all in paper? Where the ice cream inevitably melts down your arm as you quickly shove the remaining bites into your mouth? You know, the ones that signal Summer and staying up past your bedtime and having no homework and running barefoot in newly cut grass? You know what I'm talking about.
Read MoreSometimes you make a recipe because you've been wanting to make it for a long time. You're craving it. Sometimes you make a recipe because you messed up another recipe and now you're stuck with a dozen egg whites. That would be the reason I made this pavlova, and I have to say that I am so glad I messed up the other recipe.
Read MoreEnter, the Snickerdoodle Cake. I struggled with what to call this confection really. It's not totally a cake and it's not totally a bar. A car? A bake? Wait, those are already things.... so, I'm going with "cake," since at this point in my life, it sounds more festive than a "bar."
This is an adaptation of a recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook which I highly recommend. The main adaptation is that I've converted it to gluten-free and I've played with the size of the pan you bake it in. Deb Perelman (the food blogger we all aspire to be, right?) describes these as a cross between a snickerdoodle cookie and a gooey butter cake.
Read More"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." - Julia Child
So, my "what-the-hell attitude" led me to think that a smoky creamy ice cream would be A-MAZ-ING. And, this time, I was right. I think the key to this recipe is to get some good Lapsang Souchong tea leaves. We had this amazing tea shop in our old neighborhood in Brooklyn (of course, there's a great tea shop in Brooklyn- queue the eye roll) that had a double-smoked (aka extra smoky) Lapsang Souchong. I wish I could have used those leaves...
Read MoreI decided to make this cake since one-half of my in-laws are big into their Swedish heritage and we had a festive Swedish luncheon the other weekend. I watched the contestants on The Great British Baking Show make one and I thought, "Hey, I think I could do that!" Nevermind that I don't really like marzipan and I'm not actually Swedish.
Read MoreLittle known fact. Ice cream tastes better in the winter. That's right. All of our years running after the ice cream man in the summer was for naught. There's something about eating something cold in the cold that is pretty magical. I learned this when I studied abroad in Russia. My friends and I loved buying the flattened pre-scooped ice cream cones from the street vendors. They only came in vanilla and chocolate and the wafer cone was soft and chewy, but who cared? It was super creamy and it was snowing out and it tasted amazing!
Read Morebutter + sugar: baking treats that taste good without the gluten
