Food Philosophy: Recipes and ramblings from a gluten-free naturopath

Merry Christmas, everybody!!   I realize that I'm a couple of days late for Christmas, but I'm one of those people who enjoys the holiday season all through the season :) I've got a couple of amazing new desserts for you today!!  And, even though Christmas is officially over, you can still make these for a fabulous New Year's party or other holiday get-together.  And, frankly, why not just make them any old time of year??? Let's start with an Egg Nog Brulee! Doesn't that just make your mouth water???? I absolutely love Creme Brulee and am always coming up with a new way to make it!  The other day I was looking in my fridge and saw Egg Nog and thought, "Why not?" and this is what I came up with. Egg Nog Brulee Recipe 1 1/4 c. Egg Nog 3 egg yolks 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. cinnamon dash nutmeg 1 scant T. cornstarch Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Spray 2 3/4 cup rame

I have been really bad about blogging in the last few weeks---I've just been SO busy and I have several things to share with you!!  But, today I want to share my most recent creation:  Pumpkin chocolate pecan spice cake!!  I saw a recipe in the most recent Food Network magazine and knew immediately that I had to convert it to GF!! Also, I changed it quite a bit because I can NEVER just make a recipe the way it's written :)  I use recipes as inspiration and a jumping-off point and then, I just go crazy and invent something fabulous! I was dying to make it from the minute I saw the recipe, but knew that I needed the proper venue or else my husband, Kevin, and I would have to eat the entire cake and that just wouldn't do!  So, today was our squadron Thanksgiving luncheon and I knew that was the place to serve it!  And it just turned out SO amazingly that I had to share it with y'all :) (that's how we talk down here in the south ). Pumpkin chocolate pecan spice cak

A recent study shows that 85% of the people who are currently eating a Gluten-free diet in the USA are NOT, I repeat NOT, celiacs or even gluten intolerant!!  Eating a GF diet has become the latest fad craze, kind of like Atkins, and people think that they're going to lose weight and get healthier by eating GF---WRONG!  OH, SO WRONG!!!! If your body is not impaired by celiac disease or gluten intolerance, you are doing serious nutritional damage to yourself by following a GF diet.  Of course, an occasional GF meal won't hurt anyone, but sticking to a strict GF diet is dangerous if it's not medically necessary!! There are alerts being posted by health organizations and people just don't seem to be listening.  If they really did their research they would realize that GF foods are MUCH higher in calories than non-GF foods, so there's not much chance you're going to lose any weight on a strict GF diet.  Also, the nutrients found in those whole grains are vital t

Basil, Basilica, Basilico,Basilic, Basilikum, Bazalka, Alfabrega...however you say it in whatever language you choose--it's still one of my all-time favorite herbs!!  I love to grow it myself so I can just pop into the back yard anytime and pick some fresh and use it in my cooking.  Right now, I have 3 different kinds of basil growing....Italian, Greek, and Thai....and I love them all! One of my favorite salads is a quick one that I put together one night when I was in need of food for company and my supplies were limited.  It has become a favorite---my husband would eat it every night if I'd make it :) Tomato-Bread Salad Recipe: 2 Schar Classic White rolls 2 large tomatoes, chopped (or cherry tomatoes) 1 6 oz container crumbled Feta cheese 10 fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced Olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste Preheat the oven to 425.  Cube the rolls and put into a baking dish.  Top with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder.  Bake about 10 minutes or u

I LOVE pizza!!  And, it's one of the things I miss the most from the BGF (before Gluten-free) days!  It was always so fun to be able to order in a pizza and have a fun family night watching movies or playing games.  Of course, my eating participation in those nights came to a screeching halt after I was diagnosed.  So, I began trying to make my own GF pizza crust....and the first 50 or so tries were absolutely terrible!!  I wouldn't have been comfortable feeding those crusts to my daughter's pet rat, but I ate them anyway because I was so starved for pizza! Over time, and a LOT of experimenting, I came up with a GF crust that I really enjoyed.  The great thing about this recipe is that it also makes super breadsticks!  So, I would make a double batch of the crust and have enough dough for 1 pizza and about a dozen breadsticks on the side :) Pizza Crust/Breadsticks Recipe 1 c. brown rice flour 1 c. tapioca flour 1/3 c. dry milk powder 2 tsp. xanthan gum 1/2 tsp. sa

Even though Summer doesn't officially end until September 22nd when the Autumnal Equinox occurs, most people consider Labor Day weekend to be the end of summer.  Kids are either already back in school or headed there next week...beach trips are over...the garden is winding down...the pools are getting ready to close...it's time to welcome in my favorite season, autumn! But, before we do that, we have one last blow-out weekend that starts tomorrow!!  I can't believe that it's Labor Day weekend already--where did the time go this summer?  I always feel this way, but not for the same reasons as other people do.  Me...I'm always glad for summer to be over and to welcome in some--hopefully--cooler weather with lower humidity.  But, most of all, I'm all excited for the fun foods that go along with autumn cooking---the soups, stews, chilis, crock-pot creations, pumpkin goodies...need I say more?? Before we start cooking all of those kinds of meals, I have one last

The night before I had to fly out to Kansas City for my Mom's funeral, I had a spouse's social to host.  We were having a pool party/game night at the clubhouse and pool here in the subdivision where I live.  As I was planning the event, I decided that dips would be perfect for the refreshments since we'd be taking a "dip" in the pool :) I decided on 2 savory dips and 2 sweet dips so there'd be something for everyone.  I even invented a new dip recipe for the occasion!  (Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the dips or the serving table.  I guess I was just so busy and so focused on getting out of town that I totally spaced off taking any pictures---and I even had my camera with me!  Hopefully, you can give me a pass on this one since I was headed to my Mom's funeral :) I did, however, get a picture of the Teddy Bear pool cake that Tiffany Smith made and brought to share with all of us. Isn't that cute?? I didn't get to taste it b

I had a meeting the other night and I wanted to serve something very summery and fruity but still dessert-y, so I thought and I thought and I thought and I discarded a bunch of ideas because it was too gooey or too heavy or would take too much time that I really didn't have that day.  And, finally, I decided on Key Lime Pie! If you've ever been to Florida, especially down in the Keys, you've been inundated with Key Lime products.  They make EVERYTHING Key Lime down there...from pie to candy to chocolate covered ice cream bars to cookies to sauces....the list goes on and on. And yes, there really is a difference between a Key Lime and a regular lime.  (I have to make a confession here that the lime slice in the picture is just a regular lime because I couldn't get any fresh Key Limes here where I live.  I had to use bottled juice to get the Key Lime flavor...busted!) A Key Lime is much smaller than a regular lime with a thin, smooth, greenish-yellow skin and green

My Mom died yesterday.  Her name was Schelby Jean Leakey Holliday.  She was born on December 15, 1941 and died at the age of 71.  She died from the side effects of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencecephalopathy (PML)--a very aggressive virus that is usually only seen in advanced AIDS patients.  But, my Mom had been on immunosuppressant drugs for about 20 years because of a kidney problem she had and her body just couldn't fight off the virus.  Basically, it's a brain-eating virus and that's what it did--it diminished her capabilities, took away all of her motor and cognitive skills and killed her. This is when I was about a year old and she was holding me.  She had severe health problems her entire life.  She was born sickly, with a collapsed lung and my Grandma was told by the doctors that she had to make her cry for over an hour every day so it would keep her lung inflated!  She developed scoliosis of the spine and had to have several back surgeries and spent most of he

Last week I had my first spouse's social here at my house and I decided that I wanted to have the theme for the refreshments be "Everything Chocolate" because what woman doesn't like...love...adore...cherish...die for...chocolate?? I wanted to have a chocolate fountain but I couldn't find one anywhere to rent and I just really didn't need one more big kitchen appliance to have to move every 2 years, so I decided against that.  Plus, my husband is always reminding me that "less is more" and to "keep it simply elegant" because I guess I have a tendency to overdo things...no comment. I started with my all-time favorite Brownie cookies!!  They're a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips and pecans and they are ALWAYS wonderful and a crowd pleaser!  The recipe for these cookies is in my cookbook, but I'm going to give it to you here, also. Brownie Cookies 2/3 c. shortening 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1 T. water 1 tsp vanilla

I absolutely LOVE making homemade jam...and of course, eating it!  My stock was non-existent and I knew that it was time to get some summer jams made.  I always like to have some around for family use and I like to have a bunch made up and ready to use as gifts---jam makes one of the very best, all-time gifts!!  You can grab it at the last minute when you've forgotten you were supposed to take something, you can use it for a sick friend, you can add a little piece of fabric tied with a ribbon to the top and make a fabulous birthday present, you can take a jar to all your neighbors for Christmas...the list is endless!! But, first you have to make the jam :) I started with a batch of strawberry freezer jam--this is strictly for personal consumption!  I love the way freezer jam tastes SO fresh--like eating fresh strawberries.  It's hard to use as gifts because of the freezer factor...oh, darn, guess that means I have to eat it. To start, you need to wash a couple of 1 cup siz