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

Cooking involves a lot of emotion for me...its not just about following a recipe or putting a nice meal on a table.  Every recipe has a history, both in how it was created or first used, and in how it affects me when I cook it; this is especially true for recipes that I use over and over again. Chocolate Zucchini Cake is one such recipe!  I remember when I first found this recipe in an old magazine and knew that I just HAD to try it!  I remember converting it to "my" recipe by making, what I believed to be, "necessary" changes.  I remember taking it to dozens of potlucks, picnics, church socials, birthday parties...and it being a hit every single time! (You know you're a hit when your plate is the first one empty :)  I remember struggling to convert it over to GF after I got diagnosed and how happy I was when I finally got it right! Me, at age 8, with my Grandma I also think about my Grandmother, Velma Burkhart Leakey Whiting, whenever I make this cake b...

I absolutely adore lemonade!!  And, I've become, I'm embarrassed to say, quite a lemonade snob in the process.  Nothing infuriates me more than reading "freshly squeezed" on a menu, only to discover that it came out of a Minute Maid can!  Really, people!! I enjoy all the different takes on lemonade out there...cherry, strawberry, vanilla...lots of flavors and slushies and such...but I really enjoy most just the straight, old-fashioned, sweet/tart, FRESHLY SQUEEZED lemonade!  And, if I'm completely honest, I am generally disappointed when I order it out somewhere, so I just make it myself and enjoy it in the privacy of my own home! Now, as with all things, I love to make it and take it to events.  And, it never fails, every time I take my fresh lemonade somewhere, someone (or many someone's) will tell me, "That's the best lemonade I ever had!"  And, every single time, I'm shocked!  It's not rocket science to make good lemonade...alt...