Topped with Coconut Cream and a spoonful of seasonal fruit this is a wonderful dessert for a summer seaside luncheon: easy, light, delicious, and pretty. It can also be served with coconut ice cream and bittersweet chocolate sauce or warm with a little papaya or passion fruit jam for a weekend breakfast treat. Any way you slice it, …
This recipe is an homage to Sarah with a nod to the Barefoot Contessa. Who knew that Ina Garten (M.B.A. George Washington University) worked for the U.S. Government as a nuclear energy budget analyst before (taking off her shoes) to own and operate a specialty foods shop? Last month Sarah, who moved to Maine from NYC seven years ago, …
Tested and enthusiastically approved by GF and non-GF friends and family, this is one of our new favorite scone recipes. We like the combination of sweet, savory, and aromatic flavors. They’re great for breakfast or as a side for salad or soup. 4 years ago we moved from Falmouth back to South Portland (SoPo) where …
It’s strawberry season in Maine, there’s a rain delay at Wimbledon, and I’m meeting Kari and Stephanie at 11:30 to walk around Back Cove before lunch: time to bake a cake! Fresh picked local organic strawberries are fragrant and delicious, but often delicate because they’re not bred to endure cross country shipping. When you think your berries …
This outstanding banana bread is more fun to make than any other and arguably more delicious than our favorite Kona Banana Bread. Roasting the bananas takes a little extra time, but the dimension it adds to the flavor is worth every minute. Using coconut oil and almond milk make it dairy free, however substitute butter for …
Just back from an island with an organic coconut field and organic banana field. Plus there is a LOT of coconut flour in the larder. So when I was sent a link to Empowered Sustanence’s I clicked on it. Easy, satisfying, healthy, and delicious, these may become a staple in your kitchen. Our recipe is …
Late Winter Carrot Soup (Serves 8 -12) This special hearty soup is tangy and thick enough to serve over pasta. Last week I used it on pizza under arugula, feta, caramelized onions, and fig jam. Nathaniel made a ragu for vegetable “noodles” from the Paderno Spiralizer. Served as a soup it can be garnished with pesto, or a drizzle of …
28 years ago four women each had their first child within a five week span. One of those babies will have her first child in two months. The three boys, errr… men aren’t there yet, following Daphne as they did growing up. This afternoon we’re hosting a baby shower. All that stuff about time and change goes without saying. The guests have various …
I am very good at what I do – just pulled a beautiful fragrant GF Citrus Olive Oil Cake out of the oven. But, BUT, yeast is not my friend, so our successful crusty, chewy bread recipes are few. I confess to not having cultivated the relationship carefully, preferring to spend time with cookies and scones. Those of …
Read somewhere (an airline magazine?) about popular chefs’ favorite sneaky, secret ingredients. One admitted to using powdered milk in his conventional cookie recipes because it adds chewiness. Since “chewy” is a rare descriptor when it comes to gluten free cookies I was determined to experiment. Finding Organic Valley Non Fat Dry Milk at Whole Foods cemented it. I’ve …
Tandem Coffee opened a second location: a cafe in a renovated service station on Portland’s Congress Street. Briana Holt is creating excellent sweet and savory baked goods. But fair warning: gluten-free offerings are occasional and the open kitchen precludes a GF environment. However, something I had last week was worth adapting: Briana’s Birds’ Nest Breakfast Muffins. A whole …
Delicious, nutritious, easy, fast, this savory dish is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Even if you splurge on the nicest free range eggs, organic cheddar, heirloom tomatoes and Vidalia onions, it’s an inexpensive way to satisfy the craving for a hearty meal. Traveling to Lake Tahoe to visit Gus who is working at Stanford …
Book Group met last night to discuss The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud. The link is to a (more positive) NPR review because I suggested the book and still think it’s work reading. Have some fun and Google the meanings of the names of Messud’s characters should you delve in. As hostess I made the …
I first experienced Pastry Chef Ben Spungin’s desserts at Marinus, in Carmel Valley, http://www.bernardus.com/. His mom must be extraordinarily proud. Ben’s sweets are some of the most creative, smart, irreverent and successful I’ve experienced. The entire meal was outstanding. Run don’t walk to Marinus for your next special occasion (make a reservation first.) My dinner selections were mostly vegetarian …
Nothing says “Spring” like the scent of Meyer Lemons! This combination of white chocolate mousse and lemon curd makes a beautiful and decadent dessert any time of year, but especially now when bunches of tulips greet one at the market and long stemmed branches of pussy willows aren’t far behind. I like keeping the …
Pumpkin Bread is a staple at Farmers’ Markets, County Fairs, and school bake sales from October through the end of December. This recipe is adapted from one Karen gave me when we were at Jordan Junior High School. The most brilliant and delicious thing about it was Penuche Icing. Today my adult sensibilities appreciate the … Continue reading
This pie evokes memories of summers long ago when a shelf in the Big House pantry was lined with a dozen half gallon Hellman’s Mayo jars filled with cookies and crackers: Ritz, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, Goldfish, Soda Crackers, Hydrox, Chocolate Chip, Garibaldi Biscuits or “Fly Cookies”, Vanilla Wafers, Gingersnaps, Snickerdoodles, and Fig Newtons. Gammy liked her … Continue reading
For 13 years I resisted Proctor & Gambles fierce advertising campaign to purchase a Swiffer, but was inspired to head to Target to get me one a after listening to an NPR interview about fostering creativity in the workplace. In it author Jonah Leher talks about the 1999 development that revolutionized cleaning. The story behind … Continue reading
Rockycoast Crisps, our version of Lesley Stowe’s Raincoast Crisps were so successful that we’ve tweaked the recipe for October: more pumpkin seeds, cranberries instead of raisins, and just enough Pumpkin Pie Spice to suggest a cracker inspired by fall. The recipe has four steps: mixing, baking, freezing, and baking, but each is so easy and the results are … Continue reading
We went to Green Spark Farm in Cape Elizabeth on the hunt for organic pumpkins to continue our gastronomic celebration of fall in general and October in particular. They had beautiful examples of a variety of squashes. One of the tastiest is their Golden Acorns: sweet, smooth flesh, perfect for roasting. Even though pumpkin is … Continue reading
The base for this dish is a “tortilla” in that it’s made without egg or a leavening agent, but similar to a pancake because of the ratio of cornmeal to liquid. We wanted something with enough body to support the ragout, goat cheese and pesto, but simple enough to suggest a rustic Mexican meal. Swap the … Continue reading
This is one of the easiest and most satisfying preparations for fall pumpkins, or butternut or acorn squash. It’s richness satisfies any urge for mashed potatoes or risotto. A little heavy cream is what makes it seductive, but alternately one can use hearty chicken broth, milk, or dairy substitute. Roasting the pumpkin in the oven … Continue reading
“What did the butcher say to the customer on Halloween?” (See below.) It’s been almost a year since we began writing it down for Gus and anyone else interested our gluten-free path and recipes. The first post was a shot from the hip, a beloved recipe I’d sent Gus in response to his request for … Continue reading
When Gus was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes he often weighed their complications, wishing most for a cure for Celiac Disease: too bothersome and alienating to be consigned to such a restrictive diet. One couldn’t easily eat at friends’ houses, it was hard to watch teammates eat pizza at hockey or … Continue reading
I never ask for Boston Cream Pie at a restaurant: too many moving parts – too much room for interpretation. Think I sampled someone’s someplace (to the horror of most Europeans, Americans are happy to circle plates of dessert). The BCP missed in too many ways for me to ever order it on my own. 1. … Continue reading
Gluten Free Gus 