gluten free by nature — casein, soy and entirely almost sugar free…

I had every intention of testing and posting this recipe in time for Valentine’s Day. My husband happened to be away on business the week prior. And the cosmic forces were aligned for both my children get sick while he was away. It lasted a full ten days.  Thankfully, it is behind us.  In situations like this I always try to look [...]

I made these for dinner yesterday afternoon. I created a little sauce to pour over – to really amp up the flavor of the french fries. In my opinion, it’s got the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Not that you didn’t know already that I love all things sweet and savory!  I put them [...]

I somehow used to find time to watch Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Food Network show. But, I haven’t caught it in quite a long time – until this past week. She was making a version of these pears. And the recipe really resonated with me – so I thought I would make it my own and add [...]

The last time we were visiting South Africa, my brother and sister-in-law had us over for dinner. Cynthia is a really good cook and the spread she so effortlessly prepared was delicious.  She baked some butternut squash and stuffed it with a rice and sauteed vegetable mixture. In my adaptation, I changed up the vegetable ingredients just a little bit. I couldn’t help add [...]

My children like turnips. Really, I’m not kidding.  And they like parsnips, too. So, I thought I would try and put them together in a soup.  Alas, we had some serious muffin dunking going on for dinner last night.  The key to selecting good turnips and parsnips is fairly straightforward: firm to the touch (no flimsy [...]

Several years ago, I worked part-time at one of the major cooking stores in the US.  It was a dangerous liaison. A considerable employee discount led me to spend my paycheck and then some.  Sadly, all good things come to an end. Upon giving my notice I treated myself to one last item, a going away present of sorts:  a crepe maker. [...]

The last few months, I have become an admirer of the Washington Post Food Section and the clever and humorous foodies that write it. Last week, they published a column on baking holiday cookies – one of my favorite things.  They  included a recipe for “no bake white chocolate apricot almond bites” which intrigued me. Now, white chocolate is [...]