Over the past few months you may have noticed on the Daily Nosh that I’ve been talking a lot about gluten – whether it be a gluten-free alternative to an older recipe, or a reintroduction of something to my diet with gluten. At the beginning of the year I experienced many bouts of food poisoning while staying in the UK and with that came a host of unexpected side effects including vertigo and numb extremities. Needless to say, it freaked me out a bit. So when it was suggested that my body may not be able to process the gluten due to the food poisonings, I resolved to go gluten free for a couple of months while I tried my best to rebuild the flora in my gut (because, really, I couldn’t imagine not having any gluten for two months, let alone the rest of my life).

One thing I was sure of, though, was that I did not want to go out and find a plethora of gluten-free products to replace my gluten-filled products. First and foremost, I know what wonderful bread and homemade pasta tastes like, and I know gluten-free is never going to match that. Secondly, my husband said he would go gluten-free with me, and many of the gluten-free products out there contain chickpea flour, which he’s severely allergic to. So for the most part I focused on adding more vegetables to my diet, but I did keep a couple of gluten-free alternatives around to squash the cravings for my favored pastas. One was a quinoa pasta, which, while it didn’t soak up sauce the way traditional pasta does, and the texture was horrid leftover, it was quite tasty with my veggie spaghetti.

After two months, I began adding gluten back to my diet, and my husband did the same. Only while it was sitting okay with me, he realized he was doing a lot better without it in his diet. Uh oh! Suddenly mostly-gluten-free was looking more and more like a way of life in this household. So I decided to try Cup4Cup flour which I had seen earlier on in my gluten-free quest, but passed on since my 2 month hiatus was almost up. (more…)

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Gluten free, miscellany by Courtney

I’m here with a quick and easy tip that I know most of you may already know, but for those who don’t, this could change the way you prep your avocados – in my mind, for the better!

To remove the pit, first cut the avocado in half around the pit, twisting so you have two halves. One will be pit free, but the other you’ll need to remove the pit. Using your chef’s knife, carefully holding the avocado in one hand, quickly drive the base of the chef’s knife into the pit, as shown above. Make sure your hand/fingers are behind the avocado, so you don’t drive the knife into any extremities! Then, still holding the avocado, twist it one way, the knife the other. The pit should pop right out.

To remove the pit from the knife (more…)

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Quick tip by Courtney

It’s one of those tips that it seems everyone knows, until you hear from that one person who doesn’t. And to them it’s mind-blowing, earth-shattering… okay, maybe not. But it’s super-neat and cool! Or, maybe just really handy.

So with that in mind, I share the flavor-enhancer-in-an-ice-cube-tray trick. When you have bits of liquid or semi-liquid things left over (or if you just want to perfectly portion a huge batch of something), pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Each cube usually yields 1 to 2 tablespoons of whatever. You could do this with stocks for those recipes that call for 1 tablespoon here or there, leftover wine, citrus juices, or, as I’ve done here, my pesto. These are perfect for a serving of pasta or tossing into a baked egg. (more…)

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Prep for Later Use, Quick tip by Courtney

While we’re experiencing the last bits of summer here in the Bay Area, fall has been flirting with us a bit. Harvest has started in wine country, the summer fruits and vegetables are having their last harrah! in my backyard, football is in full swing, and the temps are occasionally dropping. My mind has been teeming with all the wonderful cool-weather foods I want to make, so I thought I’d not only share my lineup, but give a little order to the running list in my head. (more…)

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miscellany by Courtney

I’m so excited about finishing my new spice rack that I want to share it with everyone! Ninety six test tubes arranged neatly, alphabetically, in my cabinet. I detailed the process of creating the rack on Decoration Inspiration over at Madd Hatter’s Lab.

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miscellany by Courtney