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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Chocolate Sorbet- Dairy-Free

Rich chocolate sorbet- without dairy. Pass the spoon.

Chocolate Dessert

Two trends are sneaking in to recipe searches this week. The first? Super bowl recipes. You know, guy-style chicken chili and Crock-Pot crowd pleasers. Party food for the Big Game. Guacamole and hummus. Nachos. The second trend is a search closer to my own heart and its tender sensibilities.  You may have already guessed it. Because you, Wonderful Reader, are smart, savvy and, well. Let's just gush a minute with appreciation. You are downright fabulous (with impeccable taste and discernment, I might add).

The second big trend is a search for romantic recipes and Valentine's Day inspiration. You're not surprised, are you? (See, I knew you were brilliant).

I'd much rather conjure up chocolate recipes than beans and burgers. Sexy food is more interesting than AstroTurf and lines of scrimmage and backfields in motion. And what the Hail Mary is a down, anyway? First down, fourth down. All these downs and off sides. It makes my head spin.

The simple pigskin truth is, all I know about football I learned from watching The Replacements. It's my favorite football movie. And if your intuition serves you well, you know it isn't because of the football theme. It's because of a certain favorite actor, who- if you watch with gentle attention- is one of the best listeners in the acting game. Most actors simply wait for their turn to speak. Keanu Reeves inhabits the moment. His eyes listen.

Some folks apparently don't value such a quality. They prefer those scenery chewers who vamp and beg for attention and aggressively steal every scene they're in. (How else do you explain why the remarkable Jeff Bridges has not finally won an Oscar? At 60.).

As in life, there are givers and there are takers. Quarterbacks and receivers. Oh wait. That's football again, isn't it. So be it. Here's what I know about football, thanks to Shane Falco.

Pain heals. 
Chicks dig scars. 
Glory lasts forever.

Okay. I admit it. Maybe it's kinda sexy. Especially when he says it. And maybe it's even about love, after all. So serve this sexy dessert for Valentine's day. And watch The Replacements. You get romance and he gets football.

It's win-win.

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Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

Quinoa pilaf with mushrooms, scallions and bell peppers.

New Queen on the Block

In between bouts of rain and nostalgia (I prickle using the word nostalgia, to be honest; it smacks of sentimentality, not a trait I cultivate or suffer gladly, but I'll get to that later) I've been craving quinoa like there's no tomorrow, as if I'm living in my own post-apocalyptic genre movie, foraging for nuts and berries on a desert highway in my fashionably shredded mud spattered get-up complete with goggles and chain link bracelets, wishing I had the taut burnished thighs of Tina Turner instead of my own wobbly, pale set of limbs.

Yeah. I'm talking voracious.

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Gluten-Free Chili - Our Favorite Recipe

Our favorite gluten-free chili- hearty winter comfort.

 
FADE IN:

INT. 5TH FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY


A chilly winter light slices into a SANTA MONICA apartment and illuminates every cobweb. (Obviously, a certain individual has been neglecting house work again). Said individual sighs audibly. Glances sideways into the mirror hanging above the kitchen sink cluttered with coffee spoons, grilled cornbread crumbs and half-filled tea mugs. She could never pass for Martha Stewart. Not in a million years. 

DISHEVELED GLUTEN-FREE GODDESS

Good gravy. Look at all the dust balls. 

STEVE (HUSBAND)

So what. What's a dust bunny or two? 

(glancing up from his laptop)

I’ll vacuum later. Or next Tuesday.

DISHEVELED GLUTEN-FREE GODDESS

My hero.


(dragging out the Crock Pot from under the sink)

This calls for chili.

FADE TO BLACK

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Rain in Santa Monica

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