Gluten-Free Multi-Grain Crackers

Company worthy gluten-free olive oil multi-grain crackers.

Crispy Crunchy Homemade Crackers

This is a light, pleasantly crisp cracker that is flaky and tender- and you won't believe it's gluten-free and vegan. The texture is so elegant. Yet. The flavor retains an earthy touch of rustic, with a hint of... Dude. Cue soft focus. Suddenly I feel as if I'm in a varietal wine commercial, tossing my hair back (if I had tossable tresses, that is and not a sensible cheek length bob that refuses to toss) and laughing just so- with a tableaux of my closest, dearest multicultural friends, of course- revealing a gleaming set of perfectly capped teeth as I raise a globe of pinot noir into the rosy glow of a Napa Valley sunset to convey The Good Life.

The life without chin hairs and medical bills and neighbors who don't recycle.

All kidding aside (I don't sport a tableaux of polo shirt wearing best friends and I've never been to Napa Valley or for that matter, capped my teeth or Botoxed my frown lines leaving the perfect hint of crow's feet to crinkle when I smile so that you don't notice my eyebrows are frozen back to 1985) I  just might bake up a batch of these tasty crackers for Oscar night, whip up some Roasted Eggplant Tapenade and pop open a bottle of lovely Veuve Clicquot Brut.

Uh oh.

Sounds so swanky and pseudo-chic again, I know (but really- I've no idea what the subtle variations of brut vs Champagne and méthode champenoise vs méthode traditionnelle are; I could research and report back to you, I guess, using terms like appellation and second fermentation and nose). But.

Maybe you'd rather not know. Maybe you'd rather go with the flow and focus on something tangible, something in the here and now and sitting right in front of you like- a simple cracker recipe- and take my word for it. Veuve Clicquot Brut tastes good. It's pretty tasty with crackers. Grapes. And popcorn, for that matter. This I know.

The rest is all persuasion technique. I looked it up.

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Roasted Vegetable Chowder

Craving a bowl of comfort? Have I got a soup recipe for you.

Roasted Veggie Chowder

Frost was not on the pumpkin this morning. Not my pumpkin, anyway. Mine's long gone. Turned into a pie. Well, that and it was 80 degrees yesterday. Skateboarders careening by my apartment (at impressive speeds for a Fat Tuesday) wore nothing but Aloha shorts. Welcome to Santa Monica in February.

But what was on my pumpkin- if I still had one?

Pollen, dude. The trees are blooming, doing their sexy spring thang. Bursting. Co-mingling. Giving the bees something to buzz about. And I'm all about having a good time. I believe in love. And bees. But tree pollen, I have to ask you. Why so hostile?

Can't we all just get along?

I am thick and stupid from your assault. Not to mention, dripping from frontal orifices (not the most attractive trait sported by a woman of a certain age, I assure you- though how would you even know? You're a microgametophyte, for goddess sake).

So while your intrepid gluten-free goddess is suffering the slings and arrows from various coniferous and deciduous assaults, forgive me for posting a recipe reprise today. I am too itchy and spike-ridden to bake something new. I need comfort. I am making soup. Roasted vegetable chowder, to be exact. And besides. This one's a keeper from the archives you may have missed.

A rich and flavorful chowder made with roasted vegetables.

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Foto Fun : iPhone Photography

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