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gluten free

Gluten Free

Homemade “Cheese-It” Crackers

February 4, 2026

Cheesy, crispy, buttery, and gluten-free! My kids love these homemade “Cheese-It” crackers. They require few ingredients, bake up beautifully and are happily without TBHQ (Tertiary butylhydroquinone) the nasty synthetic antioxidant used in most mass-produced store-bought cheese crackers.

To make our cheese crackers, choose super sharp white or yellow cheddar for maximum flavor. You’ll whirl this in a food processor with gluten free flour, butter, a few pinches of cornstarch and xanthan gum and (if needed) a sprinkling of water. That’s it for the dough!

And to ease the process of rolling out the dough,  place it between sheets of parchment or plastic wrap. Once you’ve thinly rolled out the dough, you’ll use a sharp knife to slice it into squares, placing each on parchment lined cookie sheets before chilling. And to make the crackers especially cute?  Use a bamboo skewer to poke a hole in the center of each before baking. Happy snacking!

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten Free

Nectarine Almond Upside Down Cake

November 13, 2025

Pretty, perky and gluten-free, this one-layer darling of a cake is also versatile and quick. I’ve served it in the morning with coffee, after dinner for dessert, and delivered it to friends as an afternoon pick-me-up.  I typically top it with a swirl of perfectly ripe nectarine slices, but peaches, plums or pears work equally well.

To make it, you’ll slice and spiral the fruit into a buttered 9-inch cake pan, drizzle with sugar caramel, and then top with a batter of eggs, butter, sour cream, gluten-free all-purpose flour, and almond flour. The crumb of the cake is supremely tender, and the cake keeps well for service the next day.

 

 

 

 

 

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Gluten Free

Basil Gnocchi with Sheet Pan Tomato Garlic Sauce

August 25, 2025

There have been a bunch of recipes for gnocchi circulating lately that take ready-made, store-bought versions of the potato dumplings and roast them in the oven or sear them in a skillet to golden crispness. The added texture makes the dumplings almost like tater tots– more appealing than the simply boiled gnocchi favored in the past. Our homemade gluten-free gnocchi are paired with a simple sheet pan sauce that cooks while you made the dumpling dough.  Once you’ve boiled the gnocchi, you’ve got lots of options: You can go the traditional route and stir and serve them with the sauce right away. You can quick fry them in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil for the crispy-on-the-outside, tender inside modern version. Or you can cool or freeze them for service on another day.  

For best results, the key in preparing gnocchi is to handle the dough as little as possible, folding and scraping the ingredients together, and kneading very little.  Also? Have lots of fresh basil leaves on hand for service, and if you like, a bit of Parmigiano Reggiano. Continue Reading…

Gluten/Egg/Dairy Free

Sweetheart Tart: Red Berry and Custard (Gluten-, Dairy- and Egg-Free)

February 10, 2023

When I hear, “Valentine’s Day,” the queen of hearts rhyme I learned as a tot, always pops to mind: “The queen of hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer’s day, The knave of hearts, he stole those tarts, and with them run away…” (I think the illustration of the skinny-legged “knave” running off with the tarts in the nursery primer was what fascinated me most.) Anyway, thinking about the verse recently, I poked around and discovered it was written by an anonymous poet in the 1700s, who added three more scandalous stanzas that definitely wouldn’t fly in the nursery. I’m guessing you’ve never heard them either, so here you go:

The queen of hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer’s day,
⁠The knave of hearts, he stole those tarts, and with them run away:
⁠The king of hearts call’d for those tarts and beat the knave full sore;
⁠The knave of hearts brought back those tarts, and said he’ll ne’er steal more. (continued through link)
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Vintage Veg

Spinach Souffle

September 9, 2022

As a child, the dreaded words, “Eat your spinach!” had me pushing the boiled mass around on my plate, trying to figure out how to slip it into a napkin and beat a hasty retreat before being found out 🙂 But as an adult, I learned spinach could be quick sauteed with garlic (delicious!) eaten fresh in a salad, swirled in a soup, tucked into spanikopita, or folded in a fluffy omelet. So much better than boiled! This gluten-free souffle is another way to work spinach magic and is a more lightly textured alternative to creamed spinach.  It does have 1/3 cup of half-and-half in it, but that scant bit of dairy is balanced out by 12 cups of fresh spinach and there is no egg yolk, flour or cheese in the recipe. Three whipped egg whites give the souffle its lift. As it bakes, the souffle will puff up a bit, and crown. It makes a good side dish with poultry or roast beef. I like to make it in 2, two-cup casserole dishes, but you can put it all in one 4-cup baking dish if you prefer. Continue Reading…