Holidays

Thumbnail image for gluten-free soft molasses cookies

gluten-free soft molasses cookies

Every Christmas, my mother made batches of soft molasses cookies with sweet vanilla frosting on top. Talk about sugarplum fairies — these were the cookies of my dreams. You can make a chocolate chip cookie all year long and still love it. But there’s something to be said for pulling out a cookie recipe once [...]

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Thumbnail image for fresh pumpkin pie, gluten-free

fresh pumpkin pie, gluten-free

It’s pumpkin pie time. Pretty much, it’s always pie time around here. I love making pie enough that I was asked to speak at a performance art/pie contest event called PIE STORIES last weekend. Pie stories. I have plenty of those. However, for all the pies I have made — countless pies, hundreds of crimped [...]

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Thumbnail image for carnitas for Cinco de Mayo

carnitas for Cinco de Mayo

In just a few hours, these ribs will be our dinner. This morning, Danny created a spice rub, just for the heck of it. After he did the dishes, he started playing. A little coriander, a touch of cinnamon, some ground coffee, a little chipotle. I love when he plays with food. After smelling the [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free Irish soda bread

gluten-free Irish soda bread

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! Okay, I’m going to admit this. It’s a little sad. When I was a kid — and sort of well into my adulthood — I only had three associations with St. Patrick’s Day. Leprechauns with leering grins. Green shirts for fear of being pinched. And the Shamrock Shake. Remember that? [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free Mexican hot chocolate cakes for Valentine’s Day

gluten-free Mexican hot chocolate cakes for Valentine’s Day

You all blow me away. This past week has been extraordinary, for a number of small reasons. However, mostly it’s because my life has been imbued with your love stories. Every day, I have been coming here to publish comments and ended up in tears. Happy tears, mind you. Your vulnerability, generosity, and humor has [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free shortbread

gluten-free shortbread

I made three batches of shortbread yesterday. Yes, I’m a little nuts. It’s the last day of posting holiday cookie recipes around here. After jam tarts, gingerbread men, coconut sugar cookies, cannolis, plus 8 more, you think I’d be done. That’s an even dozen, right? (Plus, if you go over to our friend Silvana Nardone’s [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free Mexican wedding cookies

gluten-free Mexican wedding cookies

Mexican wedding cookies. Of all the requests people had for gluten-free holiday cookies, I think this was the most requested. Finely ground nuts, butter and shortening, gluten-free flours, and powdered sugar. It isn’t much more complicated than that. All that deliciousness and it’s easy too? Sign me up. Now this cookie, with tiny variations of [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free cannoli

gluten-free cannoli

“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” I’m tempted to write only this. After all, it’s the only phrase I hear in my head when someone says cannoli. Probably you too. (And if you don’t know what it is, look here. Watch out — you’re going to want spaghetti and meatballs after watching this movie.) However, I [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free spritz cookies

gluten-free spritz cookies

We are coming into the home stretch of holiday cookies and goodies around here. I don’t want to think about how many pounds of butter, flours, and sugar have been used in this kitchen the past month. I can’t even calculate how many times the paddle of the KitchenAid has whirled around these weeks. Every [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free cake pops

gluten-free cake pops

This is a cake pop. It’s a cake pop made by my wonderfully talented and lovely friends Jessie (also known as Cakespy) and Megan (also known as Not Martha).If you are lucky enough to know people who want to spend the afternoon with you crumbling up cake with their hands, manipulating marzipan, and making zombie [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free date-walnut bars

gluten-free date-walnut bars

We can’t seem to stop buying new cookbooks. I mean, after that list of our favorite 12 of 2010, we should be done for a bit. There are plenty of meals to be made in that towering stack. However, the lure of another good cookbook is powerful. On the other hand, we can’t go broke [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free ginger-lemon bars

gluten-free ginger-lemon bars

I spent about 15 minutes this morning fretting that this photograph wasn’t good enough. It’s messy. You can’t see the ooze on the cookies. The top cracked — I ran out of AP flour before I needed 46 grams of it, so I just used sweet rice flour. Don’t do that anymore, Shauna. Too starchy. [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free honey-spice madeleines

gluten-free honey-spice madeleines

All of Proust’s remembrances began with one bite of a madeleines. I have a confession. I still haven’t read all of Proust’s books. Try as I might, several times, I could never make it past the first 60 pages. Well, you’re saying, most of us haven’t. I know. But I was a literature major, an [...]

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Thumbnail image for winners of the giveaways this week

winners of the giveaways this week

(Holiday candy provided by Indie Candy, which makes allergen-free, delicious candies. I still haven’t eaten the chocolate Santa, and Lu’s getting the snowflake lollipop for a special treat, in a few weeks. But their gummy candies are some of the best I have ever eaten. If you know someone with food allergies, this is a [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free coconut sugar cookies

gluten-free coconut sugar cookies

These cookies may not look like much, but they are really quite wonderful. They are also gone. Danny and Lu nibbled them during an afternoon snack, after my photo session, as they lay on our bed together reading an I-Spy book. Weak winter sunlight spilled into the room and on their toes. I had so [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free pine nut cookie

gluten-free pine nut cookie

When Danny and I tried to decide all the cookies we would bake for the cookie-baking extravaganza here, we pulled down all our baking books and cookbooks with baked goods. We ran our fingers down the index of each one, looking for baked goods that appealed to us both. Quickly, we realized we had a [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free snickerdoodles

gluten-free snickerdoodles

Okay, I’m going to call an audible here. (Is that a football term? I sort of have this vague feeling that it is, but I don’t want to google it and spend any time looking at football terms. I have to admit, I’m totally indifferent to football. I was going to type that I loath [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free pistachio-cranberry cookies

gluten-free pistachio-cranberry cookies

As you have probably guessed, I have been baking cookies and more cookies for weeks. Nuts and flours spill on the counter. Lu is frequently reaching for a piece of dried fruit or a chocolate chip. We are making memories, she sitting on the kitchen counter, wanting to crack eggs with me, still amazed when [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free gingerbread men

gluten-free gingerbread men

“Hey sweetie, do you want to read books?” Lu bounces across the room, almost skipping. Her eyes grow wide and she shouts, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” We go over to the mound of books that are always spilling from the blue and red tubs in the corner of the room. The bookshelf in her room is [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free jam tart cookies

gluten-free jam tart cookies

I still miss Gourmet. I know that it has been gone for more than a year, and I’m supposed to have moved on by now. And frankly, it’s not as if I had time to read every article those last couple of years, or even most of them. With a newborn, who became a toddler, [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free holiday baking, 2010

gluten-free holiday baking, 2010

Let’s bake, shall we? It’s December 2nd. Most of you have probably gathered your recipe cards around you to take notes and make substitutions, pulled out the butter to soften on the kitchen counter, and started planning on sending boxes full of crisp cookies and soft squares of gingerbread to friends and family across the [...]

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Thumbnail image for curried sweet potato gratin (with a vegan option)

curried sweet potato gratin (with a vegan option)

Lately, Lu and I have been eating sweet potatoes nearly every evening. Thick slices, tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, a bit of fresh thyme, roasted in the oven until they yield to the fork but still have a bite — this has been part of our dinner at least four times a week. [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free, vegan pie crust

gluten-free, vegan pie crust

Thank you to everyone who contributed such delicious recipes for our gluten-free Thanksgiving challenge. My goodness, people! Not only did the original bloggers who posted about their own gluten-free baking challenge blow me away, but the hundreds and hundreds of links to great gluten-free food in the comments could keep anyone baking for months on [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free Thanksgiving 2010

gluten-free Thanksgiving 2010

I probably don’t need to tell you just how soon Thanksgiving is, right? Every time this year I see people coming to this site through urgent questions. “how do I make gluten-free stuffing? Is there such a thing as gluten-free pumpkin pie. gluten-free thanksgiving. help!” Well of course, we’re here to help. Over the past [...]

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Thumbnail image for Brussels sprouts salad

Brussels sprouts salad

I’m a little obsessed with this brussels sprouts salad. Does that make me weird? You don’t have to say it. I know I’m weird. I’m weird enough that I just had to ask on Twitter: Brussels sprouts? brussels sprouts? brussel sprouts? My first instinct was the right one. But I’ve been seeing it spelled differently, [...]

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how to make gluten-free stuffing

This week, in our kitchen, it has been Thanksgiving. In the past few days, we roasted a turkey breast, made cranberry chutney, figured out to make great mashed potatoes without any dairy, conquered a big challenge (vegan pumpkin pie that tastes fantastic), and baked stuffing infused with rosemary, sage, and thyme. You’ll see the results [...]

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Thumbnail image for Roasted Pumpkin Seed Spread

Roasted Pumpkin Seed Spread

Driving home the other day, I wanted to pull over by the side of the road, on every curve, to take photographs. The sun shone through yellow leaves hanging down from an old tree, like a bright splash of melted yellow crayons suspended in air. One small bush glowed red amidst -dots of green. Two [...]

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Thumbnail image for Irish soda bread buns

Irish soda bread buns

So we’re back from Arizona for less than 24 hours. The suitcases are spilling clothes, the living room is cluttered with opened books and toddler shoes, and the refrigerator needs cleaning. Besides that fact, I didn’t touch the computer for longer than 10 minutes while we were away, spending most of the day sitting on [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free cinnamon rolls

gluten-free cinnamon rolls

My friend John is a painter, an incredible painter who is not recognized in the established art world the way he should be. Whatever. That’s not why he paints. (However, I hope the museums and art critics flock to his door when he is 94, the way they have with Carmen Herrera.) He paints because [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free rugelach

gluten-free rugelach

I’ve been wanting for weeks to tell you about these cookies. And now that it’s time, I find that I don’t want to say very much. You know how some meals deserve elaborate place settings, candles lit, and a hushed expectation so your guests will say ooh when you proffer the platter? Others taste best [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free cinnamon rolls, a work in progress

gluten-free cinnamon rolls, a work in progress

Almost every afternoon these days, I look down at Little Bean amidst her pile of books. Without her noticing, I have shoved all the sharp knives and breakable dishes to the side of the kitchen where the appliances congregate. The chair sits against the counter. I have her apron in my hand. “Do you want [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free gravy

gluten-free gravy

Of all the questions I have received about Thanksgiving this week, the number one topic — by far — has been gluten-free gravy. People, it is easier than it seems. Let us walk you through it. First, make sure you have a good stock (chicken or turkey, if you eat meat), homemade if possible. If [...]

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Thumbnail image for cranberry cocktail for Thanksgiving

cranberry cocktail for Thanksgiving

You probably have cranberries in your home right now, don’t you? Lots of them, if you are anything like us. Danny made the cranberry relish this morning, a casserole dish piled high with bright red puree, with bits of white apple stained pink from standing in the same pot as those berries. Tart and mouth-puckering, [...]

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Thumbnail image for pumpkin mash

pumpkin mash

Pumpkins deserve more attention than the pies. This year, we’re making a pumpkin mash, inspired by Marcus Samuelsson’s recipe. Locally grown pumpkins, roasted sweet potatoes, garlic and shallots, a hint of sweetness. What could be wrong? We had this idea, inspired by a question on Twitter. What about a savory pumpkin custard? Sounds good to [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free pie crust

gluten-free pie crust

(We’re thrilled that this recipe is being featured at Oprah.com’s roundup of holiday recipes for 2009. For more of our featured posts, visit Oprah.com today.) I love making pie. There’s no need to tell you more about this. I’ve written about pie so many times before on this site. Each year, I’ve created a pie [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free turkey for Thanksgiving

gluten-free turkey for Thanksgiving

I love a good roasted turkey, the skin crisp, the flesh juicy. Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t start for me until I have stolen a piece of skin from the bird just out of the oven. For that reason, a dry turkey that flecks off the bone and makes me reach for the gravy boat is just [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free Thanksgiving 2009

gluten-free Thanksgiving 2009

A few days ago, we returned from California, put down our bags, and relaxed for a moment. Then, the thought struck me, as soon as I saw the date. Good god, it’s almost Thanksgiving. Can someone explain to me how this happened? (Yeah, I know — that whole space-time continuum thing. I do know how [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free gingerbread

gluten-free gingerbread

(We’re thrilled that this recipe is being featured at Oprah.com’s roundup of holiday recipes for 2009. For more of our featured posts, visit Oprah.com today.)Gluten-Free Gingerbread, adapted from November 2009 issue of Gourmet Rain is hitting the windows on the door behind me so hard it sounds like little pellet guns full of pebbles are [...]

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Thumbnail image for The New Portuguese Table

The New Portuguese Table

(We’re thrilled that this recipe is being featured at Oprah.com’s roundup of holiday recipes for 2009. For more of our featured posts, visit Oprah.com today.) I imagine Portugal is warm most of the year. That’s probably not true, and I’m worse in meteorology than I am in geography, so don’t trust me. That’s only how [...]

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how to make gluten-free gravy (a video)

Good gravy! We’re thrilled that so many of you enjoy the videos we have been making. We giggle so much in the kitchen when we make them that we would love to keep going. So, this week’s video is how to make gluten-free mushroom gravy. This is a slightly longer video, only because the Chef [...]

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Thumbnail image for pomegranate

pomegranate

On Christmas morning, Elliott — who is now 5 and deep in the throes of Santa believing — dispensed presents from each of the stockings to the rest of us. He staved off his protests about having to see our gifts when he really just wanted his own. (He’s a polite little boy.) Since everyone [...]

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Thumbnail image for the taste of the familiar in ginger-molasses cupcakes

the taste of the familiar in ginger-molasses cupcakes

Every Christmas season, my mother made ginger-molasses cookies. Every year, she pulled out the recipe, written in blue ink, slightly smeared from butter stains and time. My grandmother’s spidery handwriting crawled across the index card. I don’t remember my mother’s mother ever baking, but I’m told she did, once. This recipe probably came from her [...]

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Thumbnail image for sugar cookies and slowing down

sugar cookies and slowing down

(We’re thrilled that this recipe is being featured at Oprah.com’s roundup of holiday recipes for 2009. For more of our featured posts, visit Oprah.com today.) We returned from Tucson on Monday, tired and amazed. Little Bean did not cry once, on any of the flights we endured going to and fro. Instead, she looked up [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free Thanksgiving, 2008

gluten-free Thanksgiving, 2008

Can you smell it? Whiffs of woodsmoke, unexpectedly. Damp skin — approaching drenched — from steady rainstorms. The first hints of cinnamon in the kitchen. Nearly all the leaves on the trees have surrendered to the ground. The sky has become a flat scrim of grey. We have lived through Halloween, the time change, and [...]

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Thumbnail image for quiet on Christmas eve.

quiet on Christmas eve.

Life’s pretty quiet around here. Oh, don’t misunderstand —there’s plenty to do. The Chef’s restaurant has been packed with people who leave the front door rubbing their bellies and proclaiming to the cold air how happily full they feel. I have been writing and planning and creating, to the point that it’s sometimes hard to [...]

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Thumbnail image for gluten-free holiday baking

gluten-free holiday baking

(We’re thrilled that this recipe is being featured at Oprah.com’s roundup of holiday recipes for 2009. For more of our featured posts, visit Oprah.com today.) It turns that being sick sometimes pays off. Last week, the Chef spent his only day off sitting in doctors’ offices with me. We were waiting to have my blood [...]

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Thumbnail image for a gluten-free Thanksgiving (#3)

a gluten-free Thanksgiving (#3)

Everywhere around us, people are talking about food. On Saturday, the Chef and I stood at the Chefs in Residence stand at the University District farmers’ market, watching the slate-grey rain turning everyone’s hair sodden. A few people were jumping in puddles, happy to be buying local potatoes and knobbly celery roots. These were the [...]

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Thumbnail image for even with the deadline, there are cookies

even with the deadline, there are cookies

(We’re thrilled that this recipe is being featured at Oprah.com’s roundup of holiday recipes for 2009. For more of our featured posts, visit Oprah.com today.) No time to write a story. Pushing against the deadline, Christmas. Breathing. Still refusing to grow frantic. Instead, I will stay mostly silent here. I will simply say… these are [...]

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Thumbnail image for on loving a man and his mother’s cookies

on loving a man and his mother’s cookies

Rosemary’s Christmas cookies II, originally uploaded by shaunaforce. (We’re thrilled that this recipe is being featured at Oprah.com’s roundup of holiday recipes for 2009. For more of our featured posts, visit Oprah.com today.) When you choose to love someone, you accept more than one person in your life. Truly loving someone means inheriting an entire [...]

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Thumbnail image for some of what I learned on Thanksgiving this year

some of what I learned on Thanksgiving this year

gluten-free stuffing, originally uploaded by shaunaforce.   Every day, I learn more. And from yesterday’s festivities: – make the pumpkin pies the night before Thanksgiving. Usually, I do this, without fail. This year, I was so busy writing and making cranberry relish and catching up on correspondence that I forgot. Just plain forgot! This is [...]

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