Blustery day.

After a blustery day, soup sounded like a perfect dinner. I chose a recipe from Shauna Aherns book The Gluten-free Girl. Just a bit of unsalted butter and olive oil bubbling in the pan....add 5 cloves of crushed garlic.

Onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms, of course. Saute for several minutes.

Did I happen to mention that I went to the gym today? Exercised for just over 30 min. Felt pretty good, too. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up "light cream" for the soup. Well, I sure was thirsty and hungry so I grabbed a low-fat chocolate milk. Haven't had one of those in a long time.

I was picturing Christy Brinkley in her "got milk" add. You know that studies show adding milk to your diet "could" help you loose weight. (not sure if that includes chocolate)

Anyway, I spun the bottle around to check the calorie count, just to make sure. 170 calories. Not bad.

It was soooo good....I drank the whole thing.

Pleased with my choice, I smiled and took another self-confirming look at the back of the bottle. Yep! 170 chocolatey calories. Per SERVING. Of which I had TWO. Whoops!

I enjoyed a nice salad when I got home.

Okay, back to the soup. Add fresh Thyme to your vegetable medley. I happened to have some left in the garden so Bella and I headed out.

It was a good excuse to get outside. The sky had cleared and the sun was peeking though the clouds.

I picked some celery leaves during my garden visit. Then I thought "I'll find a few toadstools to decorate the table" for my mushroom soup debut.

No luck.

But, I did find these beautiful lacey branches.

Oops ! Back to the soup.

Add the fresh Thyme. 3 tablespoons of Rice Flour, 1/2 cup of Sherry. (I looked for sherry at the store. Not really sure where to find it.)I sure hope White Wine will do. I found German Guwerstiwermer. (I just liked the name).

Cook until the wine is reduced by half. Then add water (1 inch over veggies). Simmer for a bit then....

blend until smooth. Add the cream, salt and pepper.

It sure doesn't look like the stuff from the can. A bit sunny-orange hued from the carrots.

I jazzed it up with some blue corn chips crumbled on top.( Complimentary colors, don't ja know.) then... added a drizzle of olive oil to finish it off. Just for fun.

It turned out warm and delicious!

Just what the day called for.

More deliciousness !!!

Have spent the past week enjoying the amazing colors of fall, perfectly blended with the temperate tastes of an Indian Summer.
Headed up through the Notch with a stop at the Basin.

The Mount Washington Valley Airport. A nice day for a flight.This is ONE way to forecast the weather.

The Sandwich Fair is a must.


French Fries and fresh-squeezed lemondade. Delicious !

Garlic Schmarlic !

Don't you just love that name ?

I found this fun dip mix in the Gluten-Free section. The first time I made it was while at my sister's house. We ate the entire bowl of dip one evening. That might not sound unreasonable (to us anyway) but it was SO loaded with garlic our stomachs were killing us all night.

Can you believe I purchased another box? The flavor is incredible.

This time I decided to use it with a bit more caution (less piggish) and sprinkle it in fresh green beans for a hint of garlic flavor.

I gently steamed the green beans so they wouldn't be all mushy, then tossed with a bit of olive oil and added a bit of Garlic Schmarlic. Yum!!!

For the main dish, I picked some fresh Rosemary for the oven roasted chicken breast, put a smidge of olive oil in the pan then added the chicken breast, a few sprigs of Rosemary, a slice of lemon, a squeeze of lemon juice, sea salt and crushed black pepper. Very simply, very tasty !

The rice was cooked on top of the stove. Again, a bit of olive oil (about 1 tbsp ) some salt and pepper. I snipped some fresh dill on top when done.

Needed a bit of color and carrots fit the bill. I peeled the carrots, decided to leave them long and tossed them into a baking dish brushed with, what else, olive oil, added salt, pepper and dusted lightly with ginger. Just before they finished baking I added brown sugar and let it bake a bit longer.

Yummy !!!


Now a confession.


I've discovered that there is soooo much fabulous food I can eat on a gluten-free diet. I am thankful.

But.....apparently I've been eating as though gluten-free also means calorie free.


Whoops !


I'll be at the gym tomorrow.

Fictional cooking

Heidi Swanson's cookbook arrived today.

It was recommended by the Gluten-Free Girl. Give her site a peek. She offers so much more than just recipes. She shares bits and pieces of her "new world" with Chef husband and baby.

Just joyful!!!

Oh, did I tell you, I collect cookbooks? Not so much for cooking, but for the stories and pictures. For years I have been reading cookbooks... much like works of Fiction.

Really, who but a Fictional character would go to the ends of the earth to gather exotic ingredients, to spend hours in the kitchen slicing, measuring, mincing, beating, and waiting. And THEN, sacrifice more time in the kitchen cleaning up the mess just made?

Okay, so I have a long way to go in embracing the cooking world and it may not be an easy task.


But, I am determined to move my cookbook collection to the Non-Fiction section of my life and give it a whirl.