GLuten-Free Blueberry Corn Muffins

Summery, fresh blueberry corn muffins- gluten-free.

August is fast approaching. I am trying not to think about it. I am baking blueberry corn muffins. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. Or so I'm told. I am constructing my best defense to put off thinking about hauling our ocean-loving selves back to the dusty stoic hills of Ojo Caliente- 913 miles away from my sons, 915 miles from the sea.

Anyone out there want to buy a charming casita with mesa sunset views? Two kiva fireplaces. Saltillo tile floors. Vigas. All the rustic Southwest vibe you could ask for. Price reduced (thrice). To less than what we paid for it.

I don't pretend to understand the bigger picture, the honking beast of our lumbering economy. I'm no good at math- even when the economy is not melting down, humming along to its own sweet tune, nevermind comprehending the intricate ins and outs and ups and downs of depression economics and the breathtaking depths of Wall Street greed and extra sensitive interest rates that pout and pose and tease like strippers sending brokers into sweating Xanax popping frenzy. Not to mention, I cannot wrap my poetic visual brain around those epic taxpayer funded Wall Street buy-outs.

I'm an artist. I have always lived by the seat of my pants, without health insurance, without an IRA. I don't live by a plan. I live by intuition. Inspiration. I play with paint (not a skill valued by many people in our big screen spectacle loving culture). So I probably shouldn't have become a home owner. It was probably my fault. I should have known better. I've learned my lesson. I'm letting go. I'm saying no to mortgages. For now.

And I'm baking muffins.

I'm trying to practice my best Zen-Lebowski detachment (the waves help). And yeah. We still have three weeks. Miracles happen.

As always?

I'm hoping for the best.

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Vegetarian Puttanesca for Two

Easy pasta putanesca- gluten-free with rice spaghetti.

Oh, you paint, too? is the faint, flat interest we get, we artist's wives who paint. Inevitably followed by, Isn't that difficult? In fact, I assure them, it couldn't be easier. (Try being married to a real estate agent who sprays Sun-In in his hair, I want to say, but don't.)

The scene is my husband's art opening and I play my role with decorum, clutching my plastic cup of Australian Chardonnay.

Do you compete? Darling, this question says a lot more about you than than me. No, I always answer, trying not to audibly sigh. We mutually admire. Then comes the big one. The favorite question.

Does he influence your work? (The subtext being, of course, he is the man, after all.)

I influence his, I answer, slugging down the last warm drop of wine. They will smile their awkward smile at this and wobble toward the grapes and brie. The word tedious comes to mind.

I catch my husband looking at me through the peanut nibbling crowd. He raises an ironic eyebrow. I laugh. A sparkled perfumed woman leans in to him for a kiss on the cheek. He is polite. I will tell him later he smells like Bloomingdale’s.

At home he will make me an ice cold vodka martini. We will kick off our shoes and eat spaghetti to Chet Baker. So what's on your agenda for tomorrow? he will ask. Maybe painting, I will say with a yawn. Or blogging. I'm not just an Artist's Wife, you know.

Nope, he always says. You're the cutest girl ever.

Yeah, I remind him, You're lucky I'm a new-school feminist.

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Rice balls with coconut milk

Rice Balls With Coconut Milk (ginataang bilo-bilo)
A great Filipino dessert recipe to try !
Ingredients:

• 1 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups coconut milk, diluted with ½ cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups large pearl tapioca
• 1 ½ cups coconut cream
• langka, cut into strips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Blend flour and water blend them into dough. Shape into balls measuring ¼ inch in diameter.
2. In a large pot, bring coconut milk, sugar, and tapioca to a boil. When tapioca turns transparent in color, add the rice balls.
3. Add remaining pure coconut milk when the rice balls are soft and firm. Boil for 5 more minutes. The Filipino desert recipe of rice balls is ready to serve...enjoy the dessert !
pancit-luglug.dessert

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Sweetened Banana Plantain

Sweetened Banana Plantain (Minatamis na saging)
A great Filipino dessert recipe to try !
Filipino Dessert Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ripe plantains cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices (sliced sweet potatoes may be substituted)
• 8 ounces sweet butter sherry

Filipino Dessert Recipe Instructions :
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water and salt until a thick syrup forms. Simmer.
2. Add plantain slices and butter to the syrup and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
3. Lace each individual serving with a tablespoon of sherry and the Filipino dessert recipe is ready to serve at once...enjoy it !
filipino-dessert-recipes-ube-kalamay.

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Filipino Dessert-Ube kalamay

Filipino Dessert-Ube kalamay (sweet ube jam) recipe
A nice Filipino dessert recipe to try 1
Ingredients:

• 2 packs frozen ube
• 1 box sweet rice flour or mochiko
• banana leaves
• 4 cups white sugar
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• latik (cook coconut milk slowly until all oil is extracted and residue or latik is formed)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Thaw frozen ube.
2. Make latik in a separate pot.
3. Wilt each banana leaf then brush with coconut oil.
4. In large wok, mix thawed ube with coconut milk, rice flour, sugar, vanilla and a little coconut oil.
5. Stir while cooking. Add more coconut oil by tablespoonfuls if needed to prevent sticking.
6. Keep stirring until mixture is very thick. Put in pan lined with wilted banana leaves.
7. Flatten batter by hand using a piece of oiled banana leaf.
8. If you don’t feel like stirring for a long time, you may put slightly thickened mixture in baking pan and bake in 350°F oven 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Cool and score prepared ube in diagonal shapes and put latik on top. The Filipino dessert recipe of Ube is ready to serve...enjoy it !
rice-balls-with-coconut-milk

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Chicharon

Chicharon or pork cracklings recipe
A nice Filipino dessert recipe to try !
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork rind, cut into 1-inch square
• 1 cup vegetable or corn oil
• Patis or salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 cups of water

Dipping sauce:

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
  

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a deep pot, boil cut pork rind in water and salt for 30 minutes.
2. On an oven pan, spread the cooked pork rind and bake at 300F for 3 hours
3. Set aside and allow tocool.
4. In a skillet, deep fry pork rinds in hot oil over high heat until they puff up.
Dipping sauce
1. Combine all ingredients and mix well. The Filipino dessert recipe of chicharon is ready to serve...enjoy it !
rice-balls-with-coconut-milk

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Pancit Luglug

Pancit Luglug or Filipino dessert recipe of rice noodles in shrimp sauce recipe

Ingredients:

• Corn oil
• Garlic, minced finely
• 1 cup bean curd (tofu) diced
• ½ cup lean pork, diced
• ½ cup squid cut into rings
• 1 cup shelled oysters
• 2 to 3 cup shelled whole medium sized shrimps w/o the head
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 pound rice noodles (bihon)

Sauce:

• cooking oil
• finely minced garlic
• finely minced onion
• annatto liquid (around 2 tbsp) -bottled or from soaked annatto seeds
• lots of garlic toasted but not burned - set aside
• 2 tbsp. Cornstarch
• 1 cup tofu - mashed into tiny pieces
• 1 cup pork cracklings (chicharon) - pound to powdery consistency
• -1/2 c. smoked flaked fish (tinapa)
• -1/2 c. minced scallions
• 1 cup shrimp juice **

Instructions:
** Prepare the shrimp juice by pureeing shrimp heads in a food processor or pounding them using an almires or mortar and pestle. Add 1/2 cup of water to the puree, mix, mash and strain. To save yourself from the process of shrimp juice pureeing, purchase ready-made sauces or any shrimp bisque.

1. Heat oil and saute garlic until brown.
2. Add bean curd, pork, oysters and squid. Set aside.
3. In the same skillet, leave remaining oil and cook the sauce,
4. Heat the oil. Saute garlic and onion.
5. Add anatto water.
6. Dissolve the cornstarch in the shrimp juice and add to the mixture.
7. Add the bean curd and simmer over moderate heat stirring continuously until thick.
8. Season with fish sauce and pepper- and set aside.
9. Meanwhile, soak the noodles in hot water for about 5 minutes until soft.
10. Drain noodles well and transfer into a serving platter
11. Pour the sauce over the noodles.
12. Garnish with pork cracklings, fish flakes and scallions
13. Sprinkle toasted garlic flakes and top with hardboiled eggs cut into rounds.
14. Serve hot with lemon slices and fish sauce on the side.
The Filipino dessert recipe is ready to serve....nice !
mamon-or-yellow-sponge-cake-recipe

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Mamon or yellow sponge cake recipe

Mamon or yellow sponge cake recipe

A great Filipino dessert recipe to try !
Ingredients:

• 8 egg yolks
• 8 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1/3 cup melted Butter
• 1/3 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup sugar

Instructions:
1. Beat in a mixer at high speed until thick: 8 egg yolks (at room temperature), 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/3 cup water.
2. When sugar granules are well blended in the mixture. At low speed, add 1 tbsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1-3/4 cup sifted cake flour, 1/3 cup melted butter (cooled down), 1/4 tsp. orange extract, and 1/4 tsp. lemon extract.
3. In a separate bowl, beat 8 eggwhites with 1 tsp. of cream of tartar at high speed. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff for about 4 minutes.
4. Fold in the yolk mixture into the whites.
5. Grease 14 big mamon molds or 20 small molds with softened or melted butter on all sides.
6. Pour the mamon mixture into the greased molds until 3/4 full.
7. Bake mamon at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes.
8. When done, brush the mamon with softened butter or grated cheese and roll in a plate of sugar. The Filipino dessert recipe is ready to serve...nice !
pancit-luglug.

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Pianono Dessert recipe (Filipino jelly roll)

Pianono Dessert recipe (Filipino jelly roll)...a nice filipino dessert recipe to try !

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup ground unsalted almonds
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 12-ounce can condensed milk
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sugar 3 eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla confectioner’s sugar

Instructions :
1. Line a 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan with foil. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Melt butter and pour into foiled pan. Mix nuts and coconut flakes and sprinkle evenly in pan. Drizzle with condensed milk.
3. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and sugar.
4. Beat egg yolks in bowl until fluffy.
5. Blend sifted dry ingredients, water and vanilla and beat for another minute.
6. Beat egg whites separately until stiff and fold into mixture.
7. Pour into pan and bake for 20 minutes or until cake is done. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Transfer to a cookie sheet, roll in jelly-roll fashion and wrap with a towel to set until cool.
8. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with more confectioner’s sugar.
9. The Filipino dessert recipe is ready to serve....enjoy !
mamon-or-yellow-sponge-cake-recipe.

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Quinoa Salad with Yellow Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Basil + Mint

A light and easy quinoa salad recipe with mint.

I've written about quinoa more than once, so I doubt, Dear Reader, you need me to list all the pro-quinoa reasons why you should try this gluten-free faux grain. You already know it's high in protein. You know how easy it is to cook. You are well aware that quinoa works as a salad- warm or cold- or as stuffing for big juicy mushrooms or rather unconventional stuffed cabbage rolls that might cause your Bubbe to sit up straight in her chair and say, Oy, have I never heard of such a thing! Where do you get these ideas, Shayna Punim?

So I'm not going to wax all educational on ya.

I'd rather wax philosophical. I haven't felt practical. Or pragmatic. Truth is, I sold off furniture to be here. To get out. It's been a long, dry three years in the desert, and living here in Santa Monica is like living inside an intricate dream. The edges here are soft. The colors are gauzy with the salt air. We walk the winding path in Palisades Park at dusk and pass by strangers who meet our eyes and smile- ever so slightly.

As if we share a secret.

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Khanom Tan (Toddy Palm Cake)

The fruit from toddy palms can also be eaten and are rich in vitamins A and C, and can be eaten as young fruits, which are soft and juicy and somewhat like lychees but milder and with no pit, or old fruits, which are harder and less juicy. It is this toddy palm pulp that these cakes are made of, along with rice flour, yeast, palm sugar, coconut cream and coconut milk. Toddy Palm Cake they're kind of like sponge cake, a little sweet and different tasting than regular sugar. Enjoy ka!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 and ½ cup rice flour
• 1 cup ripe sugar palm fruit (squeeze the meat)
• 4 and ½ cup coconut milk
• 3 cup sugar
• 3 cup scraped coconut (overripe)
• 1 tsp. salt

PREPARATION:

• Crush the sugar palm fruit with water in a bowl.
• Put all of juice in a filter cloth bag and squeeze.
• Leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Boil coconut milk with sugar.
• When it's boiling, turn off the fire and leave it cool off.
• In a big bowl, mix sugar palm meat from step1 with rice flour and coconut milk from step2.
• Knead well. Make sure it is really soft.
• Leave it outside for 4 hours.
• Put wet white cloth over top.
• Cut banana leave and make a small cup from it.
• Pour the mix in banana cups or ceramic cups if you can't make one.
• Mix scraped coconut with salt and dress it over top the cake.
• Steam on boiling water for 15 minutes.

Tips:

When the dough is ready, you will see bubbles on it. Make sure you don't leave the dough outside too long because it will be sour after you cook. Add 1 and 1/2 tbsp. baking powder to safe time and make it fluffy.

  

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Khanom Mun Sam-pa-lang (Steamed Cassava Cake)

Cassava Cake is a classic Asia dessert. We have a lot in Thailand and around Asia. The taste are is solf, chewy and fragrance. I always enjoyed this even as a child. Today I going to share you this recipe so that you can enjoy this delightful recipe. Even if you are abroad, you can find many of these ingredients at any asian store. Enjoy ka!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of grated Cassava
• 6 tbsp of tapioca flour
• 1 tbsp Mung bean Starch
• ½ cup of sugar
• ½ cup coconut milk
• Food color
• 1 cup Shreded coconut
• ½ tsp salt

PREPARATION:

• Mix all the ingredient together except Shreded coconut and salt, mix until sugar dissolve for about 5 minutes.
• add color Mix well.
• mix shreded coconut and salf set aside.
• Lay small cups in a steamer and pour the mixture in each cup and Steam for 15 minutes.
• top or mix with Shreded coconut before serving.

  

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Woon Krob (Crispy Gelatin)

This Crispy Gelatin or “Woon Krob” in Thai. This Crispy Gelatin is version for the kids' dessert favorite is also gelatin-free, as well as those colorful with longer keep. Most of the child are like.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ tablespoon of gelatin powder
• 2 cups of floating jasmine water
• 2 cups of sugar
• 2 tbsp of arrow root flour
• Artificial food color or nature color

PREPARATION:

• Mix gelatin powder with floating jasmine water to pot.
• Put the pot on fire and stir it until gelatin melt.
• Add sugar and stir it until it melt then filter it with white and thin fabric.
• Put gelatin on fire again and simmer it until it sticky then put it down from fire.
• Split gelatin for mixing with food color.
• Pour gelatin to mold or tray and let it become stiff.
• Cut harden gelatin in little piece.
• Sun-Dried it for 3 times or until its skin hard.

  

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Khao Niew Moon Na Goong (Sweet Shrimp on Yellow Rice)

This Sweet Shrimp on Yellow Rice or Thai call "Khao Niew Moon Na Goong" recipe may sound strange. It is a dessert but we use shrimp on a base of (non-spicy) curried rice. A common Thai dish, even the ingredients are not common to desserts! But this is "Thai Dessert" Enjoy ka!

Ingredients for Yellow Rice

• 100 gms Sticky Rice
• 1-2 Tsp Tumeric
• 200 ml Coconut Milk
• 150 gms Sugar
• 1 Tsp Salt

Ingredients for Sweet Shrimp

• 100 gms Shrimps
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Tsp White Pepper
• 10 gms Coriander Root or Seeds
• 100 gms Desiccated (Ground) Coconut
• 150 gms Sugar
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 2-3 Drops of Orange Food Colouring
• 10 gms Sliced Kaffir Leaves for Garnish

Preparation

• To make the yellow rice, soak the sticky rice in warm water, and tumeric and leave for 4-8 hours.
• Steam the rice until cooked, (approximately 15 minutes).
• Place the rice in a bowl, mix with the sugar, salt and coconut milk.
• Leave it to soak up the coconut milk.
• Now to the shrimp topping.
• Clean the shrimp, remove the shell and cut down the back to remove the black thread 'gut'.
• Chop the shrimp into a fine mince.
• Pound the garlic and coriander root/seeds and white pepper together until well ground up.
• Fry the shrimp and pounded mixture in a frying pan with a little oil until part cooked, 30 seconds or so is fine.
• Mix the ground coconut with the orange food colouring, add to the frying pan, add the sugar and salt and fry for a further 2 minutes.
• The sugar will slightly caramelize.
• Serve a small bowl of the yellow rice with the sweet shrimp on top and garnish with some slices of kaffie lime leaves.

   

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Nam Ma-Now (Limeade)

Limeade or “Nam Ma-Now" is a popular drink due to the fact that limes are so readily available. Limeade makes for a fresh twist on lemonade, and is very refreshing. Its light green color also makes it a beautiful drink to serve. For this recipe I used 5 large limes to 7-8 cups water, which makes for quite a flavorful limeade. Feel free to add more water if you find it too strong. ENJOY Ka!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 5 medium to large limes)
• 7-8 cups water
• 1 cup white sugar (or more to taste)
• ice cubes / fresh fruit garnish (Optional)

Preparation:

• Squeeze the limes to make 1 cup lime juice, either by hand (slicing the limes into wedges and squeezing them), or by using a citrus juicer/press.
• Remove any small seeds you find.
• Pour the lime juice into a large jug, and add 7 cups water.
• Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
• Taste-test the lime water, adding more sugar if you prefer it sweeter, or more water if you find the taste too strong or sharp.
• Set jug in the re-frigerator to chill for 2 hours, or until cold.
• Serve as is, or garnished with slices or wedges of lime, plus a few ice cubes if desired. ENJOY KA! ;D

Tips:

For this drink, it’s best to use fresh limes. Bottled lime juice has a different taste, and might also give an aftertaste which you don’t want.

   

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I-Tim Ga Ti (Homemade Coconut Ice Cream)

This is classic rich coconut ice-cream, served in a Thai style. Thai ice-cream isn't really iced cream, it's often made from non dairy products. This recipe contains taro gives the ice-cream a soft smooth texture. You can also use sweet potato if you cannot obtain taro.

Ingredients: 

• 800 ml Coconut Milk 
• 200 gms Sugar 
• 5 gms Salt 
• 100 ml Skimmed Milk 
• 75 gms Taro or Sweet Potato 
• 5 gms Corn Flour 
• Ice-water To Rapidly Cool the Mixture 

Preparation:

• Chop the taro or sweet potato into large cubes and steam until cooked through. 
• Heat the coconut milk in a sauce pan on a very low heat (about 55 degrees celsius, this is nowhere near boiling, it is simply hot to the touch). 
• Mix the corn flour with 100 ml water and add to the coconut milk in the saucepan. 
• Add the sugar, salt, and skimmed milk, to the saucepan and stir until everything is dissolve. 
• Warm it to 65 degrees C and keep stirring it. Do not let it boil. 
• Mash the taro cubes with a fork and add into saucepan and using a hand blender blender the contents of the pan until the mixture is completely smooth and the taro has disappeared into the liquid. 
• Warm the pan a little higher to 80 degrees C for 4 minutes. 
• Again it must not boil. This is to cook the flour through, without permitting it to become a thick sauce. 
• The mixture should be cooled quickly and then put in the fridge, the best way to do with is to empty it into a containing that is sitting in ice water. 
• Once it is cool enough, put it into the freezer until frozen. 
• While it is freezing ice crystals will form, every few hours you should remove it from the freezer and blend it with a hand blender to break up the crystals. 

Note:
The recipe is much easier if you have a hand blender, during the preparation you will need to blend the ice-cream repeatedly as it freezes, this is done to break up the ice crystals that form. It is much easier to do that with a handheld blender or egg beater. Finally, the decoration is made from a gummy coloured mixture of cooked sticky rice flour, this is also very typical Thai.

   

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Khanom Tuay Fu (Thai Rice Flour Muffins)

This is the Thai version of muffins. Thai Rice Flour Muffins or Thai called "Kanom Tuay Fu" They are made by rice flour, scented very gently with flower water and steamed rather than baked. To cook this you will need foil or paper cups, the dough mixture is runny and needs to be held in a cup during cooking.

Ingredients: 

• 125 gms Rice Flour 
• 125 gms Sugar 
• 125 ml flowers Water 
• 1 tsp Fresh Yeast 
• 1 tsp Baking Soda 
• Food Colouring (Optional) 

Preparation:

• Mix the yeast with the rice flour, add the flower water little by little and mix until the flour is soft. 
• Add sugar, and the remaining rose water and the baking soda. 
• At this point you can add 5 drops of food colouring. 
• Or even divide the mixture into sections and colour each section separately. 
• Stir the mixture well and place in a covered bowl, leave for 1-2 hours for bubbles to form. 
• The mixture should be thick but still fluid. 
• Fill each paper or foil cup to just below the top, the mixture will expand during cooking. 
• Place in a Chinese steamer for 10 minutes. 
• You can check they are cooked by sticking a tooth pick or fork into the centre and if it comes out clean it is cooked inside. 
• Serve cold.

  

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Kanom Pui Fai (Fluffy Cup-shaped Desserts)

Fluffy cup-shaped Desserts or Thai call "Khanom Pui Fai" is a sweet and colorful Thai dessert, usually served on a special occasion such as a party to celebrate one's promotion. Also you can find from street food.

INGREDIENTS:

• 500 g. wheat flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 duck eggs
• 2 tbsp. S.P. (leavening agent)
• ¾ cup condensed milk
• 2 cup water

PREPARATION:

• Beat the eggs well at a high speed.
• Add S.P. (leavening agent) and continue beating for about 5 minutes.
• Gradually and alternately add sugar and water
• Add milk and beat the mixture for 2 minutes.
• Fold in wheat flour alternately with water , using a low speed beater.
• Pour three -quarter of water into the steamer and heat to boil.
• Spoon the mixture into the paper cake cups held in the aluminum molds.
• Arrange the mold in the steamer tray.
• Steam on medium heat for about 12 minutes.
• Remove the cooked Pui Fai from the aluminum molds.
• Leave to cool.

  

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Egg-Free Olive Oil Mayo

How to make an egg-free olive oil mayo.

One truth about myself that I'm learning- more and more- is it's the little things in life that stick.

It's the small moments I remember instead of the big ones, the quiet tender gesture rather than grandiose theatrics designed to make you swoon. Big and blown out- for me- simply fizzles and dissipates. There are gaps in my memory that reveal this proclivity to live off to the side, observing the small and overlooked, wondering what all the mainstream fuss is about. So much of what parades by as important strikes me as a lot of loud and self conscious whistling in the dark.

I prefer and savor the simple pleasures in life. Hot water and soap. Holding hands. Opening a new book. The unlauded bite of a new recipe that works- especially if you missed a certain taste- a condiment taken for granted, a spoonful most Americans plop onto their turkey sandwich, or stir into crab cakes, potato or tuna salad with no more thought or effort than simply reaching into the fridge and opening a jar.

Yes, I'm talking about mayo.

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Quinoa Muffins with Pecans

High protein quinoa flakes make this gluten-free muffin yum.

Not since my Quinoa Breakfast Cake recipe have I enjoyed a morning treat more. I am seriously digging these cute little quinoa beauties. I started out imagining a quinoa breakfast bar, an easy to-go treat that might fuel my morning walks on the beach (I've been walking three miles almost every day- which is a minor miracle, for those of you who remember the trippy Richard Gere incident). I wrote up a recipe I thought might create a higher protein snacking bar I could munch with my mug of Irish Breakfast Tea as I browse, bleary-eyed and yawning through the morning chirps over at Twitter.

But it became apparent rather quickly this batter was born to be muffins. I could just tell. It had that perfect stretchy je ne sais quoi that I knew deep down in my private tiny girl heart would urge the dark chocolate studded dollops of earthy quinoa goodness to rise into tender golden domes like champs.

So I followed my intuition and switched gears and veered into Muffin Land.

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Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies with chunks of dark chocolate.

My Ode to Cookies

Quick question. Which camp are you in? The You Can Never Have Too Many Cookie Recipes camp- or the Enough with All the Cookie Recipes contingent? You already know which faction I belong to. I don't even have to say it. In fact, I might even rename my culinary caucus. Something like, You Could Never In a Million Spectacular Carbon Infused Star Struck Years Have Too Many Cookie Recipes, Goddess Forbid.

Why all the cookie love? Life is short, number one. And just because I have celiac disease doesn't mean I surrender to a life without chocolate chip cookies and coffee laced cookies and mint chocolate chip cookies. I'm not giving up on warm-from-the-oven melty chocolate goodness. I'm most definitely not settling for any month old pre-packaged gluten-free poor excuse for a cookie. No way. Not gonna happen.

Because a good cookie is no small thing.

A good cookie can make you smile, even after a long, achingly crappy day. A good cookie might even bring you a kiss. Or little arms of appreciation wrapped around your neck. A good cookie might make you a new friend. Or prove to the class that you're not a total, allergic freak living on weirdo food that you have to feel sorry for and throw bread balls at.

A good cookie can make you feel like you belong.

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Blueberry-Strawberry Cobbler

A vegan berry cobbler. Two berries are better than one.

Baking at sea level- in an unfamiliar oven- has been a challenge that has humbled your intrepid gluten-shunning goddess at large. My mojo is askew. All my old tricks and tweaks for high altitude baking are no longer required. It's like losing a third of your favorite play list. Or half your shoes. All the left ones. I have to realign my route. I must toss out all my assumptions (a favorite mid-life goal, anyway, so I may as well practice it).

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