Jule's Gluten-Free Bread Mix, the trial

My bread from Jules GF Bread Mix

I received my holiday baking package from Jules' Gluten Free the other day and it came with a bread mix, so I thought I would try it out yesterday.  While it was easier to make than doing it all from scratch, you still have to add quite a few ingredients. The instructions say to mix the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon, which I attempted to do.  Near the end of adding the dry ingredients to the wet, I realized that it was getting too dry and was requiring a lot of effort.  I worried I was working the dough too much and I switched to my stand mixer to finish.  I now wish I had just used the stand mixer to start, because the resulting bread was a bit dry (sorry, Jules).  Having said that, it was still pretty darn good, especially when it was still warm from the oven.  This morning was another story.  I had wrapped the loaf in plastic wrap and then foil, which had always worked when I made her recipe entirely from scratch, but the bread mix bread was really dry and hard this morning when I cut into it for breakfast.  Later I discovered that if I toasted it, it regained its "warm from the oven" taste and texture, so I cut the remaining loaf into slices and froze them individually for later toasting.

The holiday package was a really good deal (a 5 lb. bag of flour, the bread mix, a cookie mix and a gingersnap mix for under $50 and free shipping!). I plan to try the cookie mixes later.  The flour I have been using for awhile and I love it.  I have used it to make her sandwich bread recipe totally from scratch and I think it comes out better for me than using the mix.  I got the recipe from attending a demonstration of hers at a GIG conference a couple years ago.

Despite my troubles with the mix, it is relatively easy to make and tastes good, so I still recommend it. I would highly recommend watching the video on Jules' site of her 15-yr old making the bread. You can see how much effort it takes to make it in a bowl.  You can make up your own mind, but my vote is for the stand mixer.

Karen, herself

Cooking with Udi's GF Breads

So, just to be absolutely clear, I love Udi's Gluten Free products and I buy the whole grain bread and the bagels all the time.  But I tried using the whole grain bread in my Thanksgiving turkey stuffing and it totally disintegrated, so I probably won't be using it in that recipe again (Bon Appetit's November 1982 French Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing).  I think the stuffing requires a firmer, more dense bread, as it has to stand up to soaking in hot chicken broth and then be added to a stovetop saute with all the other ingredients and then be baked either in the bird or in a pan in the oven.

French Toast with Udi's Whole Grain Bread

This morning I made a gluten-free, dairy-free french toast using Udi's Whole Grain Gluten-Free Bread and it was pretty darn good. I used one egg and about a quarter cup or so of unsweetened almond milk for my batter.  I made the french toast using Earth Balance's Natural Buttery Spread (the Soy-free one) and topped it off with pure maple syrup.  Looks good, eh?  Oh yeah, I topped off the dish with sauteed banana slices.

I am curious to know what others have used Udi's breads for (besides just toast and sandwiches) and how it worked.

Karen, herself

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey

Another cold day, another great soup, naturally gluten-free.  Snow is here in the Pacific Northwest and I am ready for it.  Saturday morning I made another delicious soup, this time with yellow split peas.  I like split peas in general because they do not need to be soaked, just rinsed.  Instead of ham, I put some gluten-free, nitrite-free smoked turkey in the soup.  It was a nice change of pace from ham.


Yellow Split Pea Soup
1 pkg. (16 oz.) dry yellow split peas, rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
4 cups chicken stock plus two cups water
1 cup mushroom broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1 bouquet garni
salt and white pepper to taste
8-10 oz. smoked turkey breast, cubed

Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat, add onion, celery, garlic and potato. increase heat to medium.  Salt and pepper.  Saute until onions are soft and translucent.  Add wine and cook for a minute or two, then add broth, water and spices.  Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered for 20-40 minutes.  Remove bay leaf and bouquet garni.  Use an immersion blender to partially puree. Add the cubed smoked turkey (I used Diestel brand) and heat until meat is heated through. Serves 5-6.

Karen, herself

Buckwheat Blinchiki (Naleśniki)

My Russian tutor mentioned blinchiki (filled blini, or crepes) the other day and I woke up yesterday thinking about them.  However, my early morning daydream centered on buckwheat blini and my mind wandered to a Polish version for the filling I had tasted many years ago in Detroit.  So here was yesterday’s breakfast:  blinchiki (or naleśhniki, in Polish) freshly made from scratch and filled with a sweetened cottage cheese, sour cream and egg mixture.

I first tasted these heavenly treats at a Polish festival in downtown Detroit the summer of 1971—and I went crazy for them.  Like all good Polish-Ukrainian girls, I wanted to make them myself, so after my aunt gave me a Polish cookbook (Polanie Club’s Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans, 1973), I tried them.  I wasn’t much of a cook back then and it was a miserable failure (I didn't know the Russian saying: Первый блин коман, which translates to: the first blini is always ruined, or I would have tried again!), but I kept the cookbook on my shelf and some thirty years later I tried them again.  This time they were heavenly and took me right back to that hot summer day in Detroit.

The big difference, of course, is that these blinchiki will not cause bloating and other nasty symptoms, because these babies are gluten-free.  My body doesn’t rebel when this mixture of buckwheat and all-purpose gluten-free flour hits my digestive system.  And the whole grain goodness of the buckwheat keeps my blood sugar from spiking and sending me into sugar shock. How did I do it, you ask? Here’s how:

Buckwheat Crepes 

(from The Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook, Nicola Graimes)

1/3 cup each buckwheat and all-purpose gluten-free flour 

(I used Jules All Purpose Gluten Free Flour)

pinch of salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup each water and milk (recipe calls for dairy-free, I used 1% milk)

3T butter (recipe calls for dairy-free margarine, I used 2 T unsalted butter)

Cheese Filling 

(I used the one from The Russian Tea Room Cookbook then ad libbed)

1 lb large curd cottage cheese (strained) or farmer cheese or Tvorog 

(I used about 2/3 cup cottage cheese)

1 egg (I used half an egg)

1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup superfine sugar)

(I added 1/4 cup each nonfat plain Greek yogurt and nonfat sour cream because my filling was too watery given the lack of cottage cheese.  This makes it more like a Polish cream filling)

This is how I made them: whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and add the wet, then add 2 T of melted butter.  Heat a pan with a little more butter and make thin crepes.  When one side is done, spoon a heaping teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the center of the uncooked side of the crepe.  Let it cook briefly then fold over one side of the crepe, then the other, then after it starts to puff up, roll it over.  Let is puff up again and slide it out onto your plate.  Top with a bit of jam.

Don't blame me if you go back for seconds!

Karen, herself

Lentil Soup with Ham

Spicy Carrot and Lentil Soup with Ham

There is more than just a chill in the air today.  It is downright cold, rainy and blustery in the Seattle area.  It was the kind of day where you hated to go outside.  Perfect for a steaming bowl of spicy soup.  This soup is from The Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook, by Nicola Graimes.  I cubed a couple small gluten-free ham steaks and added them to the soup at the very end.  Even though it involves a good deal of chopping, I usually have it on the table in an hour.  You'll need only a cup of lentils, 5 cups of stock, an onion, six carrots (I used 3 huge organic ones) and one stick of celery and one potato (I used Yukon Gold), olive oil, bay leaf, chili powder, cumin, coriander and paprika, salt and pepper. The recipe calls for cilantro garnish, which I usually forget to buy (!)

I have made this soup entirely vegan and I have made it with ham, or with chicken or turkey sausage and chicken stock.  Today I used 4 cups chicken stock and one cup water. Check out the cookbook for the recipe. There are many good ones there.

Stay warm out there!

Karen, herself

France, Gluten Free

This is the shot that got me in trouble at Laduree on the Champs Elysee in Paris last July.  I was told (not so politely) that photos were not allowed.  In my defense,  I couldn't resist trying to capture the incredible beauty of all those naturally gluten free cookies.  I only wish I could have captured the aroma of freshly baked macaroons.  Needless to say, we bought a box...and then came back a few days later for another and had brunch there. It was Bastille Day and the parade was over, but the crowds were still there and it was raining, so we ducked into Laduree and had omelettes and tea and dessert, all totally gluten free and made to perfection.

I've been to France before and had very little trouble eating gluten free and am always surprised to hear when people are panicked over the prospect.  I spent about ten days there this past July, five days in Paris while my husband was there on business and several more in Brittany with my Aunt at her vacation home. I am not as sensitive to minor cross contamination, so I lived a bit dangerously and did not worry about eating the fries and just tried to stick to sauces that were wine reduction to avoid flour. Here are some of the highlights:

Dessert at La Fontaine de Mars (where President Obama ate on his trip to Paris, near the Eiffel Tower)

Chocolate Mousse and Berries with Pistachio Cream

Dinner at Willie’s Wine Bar (near the Palais Royale), where you can give them a list of your food intolerances and they will find the closest fit with their menu and then make substitutions.

Leek soup, beef with herbs and olive oil, Hazelnut Panna Cotta

Dinner with my Aunt: pork chops in cream and lemon thyme pound cake (which I made with almond meal and gluten free all purpose flour.

Pork Chops with Mushrooms. Lemon Thyme Pound Cake

Lemon Thyme Pound Cake
for cake:
200 g salted butter
200 g caster sugar
100 g all-purpose flour (or GF all-purpose flour)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
100 g ground almonds (almond meal)
4 large eggs
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp. thyme leaves


for syrup:
4 T sugar
juice from 2 large lemons
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
loaf pan lined with parchment (I used a quiche pan)


Preheat oven to 325° F
Cream butter with sugar until pale and fluffy.
Sift flour and baking powder and add almonds.
Lightly beat eggs and fold them into the mixture in
2 or 3 sessions, beating in thoroughly.
Mix zest and thyme leaves and add to mixture.
Spoon into pan and bake (45 mins for loaf/25 mins quiche pan)


Dissolve sugar in lemon juice in saucepan and add thyme leaves.
Cook over moderate heat to make syrup.
Spike finished cake and pour syrup over.


(—recipe from a British magazine/newspaper article)

Obviously, the time spent with my Aunt was the easiest, because we had a kitchen and could cook for ourselves, but I also researched ahead of time and brought some gluten free things with me for treats as well as crackers to substitute for bread.  I found a Naturalia store (health food chain) online and went there the first day and bought GF bread to have for breakfast toast or for emergencies. Then I just told waiters that I needed to eat “sans gluten” and everything was fine.  In traditional cafes, I went with steak frites and avoided the sauce. I also ate moules frites (mussels and french fries) a few times and just avoided the bread they served with it. My bigger problem was that steak was too difficult for me to chew, given my TMJ issues.  Luckily, they don't overcook it there, so that made it a bit easier...as long as I cut into tiny pieces first.

So go to France and enjoy all the wonderful things it has to offer.  And leave the nasty gluten to everyone else.  You're not really missing that much.

Artichokes at the Farmer's Market, St. Brieuc, France

Karen, herself

Berry Crisp

Happy fourth of July!

Here's a recipe I adapted from the latest Weight Watcher's weekly handout.

2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
extra berries for top
3/4 cup Jules' gluten free all purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
pinch salt

Rinse berries and drain, place in bowl.  Mix sugar and flour, then sprinkle 3 T of the mixture over the berries.  Put berries into an 8" square pan.  Melt butter and mix with flour and sugar.  Dot on top of berries.  Bake in preheated oven (350°) for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle fresh reserved berries on top.  Serves 8.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

My topping did not brown as much as the WW one in their picture.  It may have been due to the gluten free flour.  Looks really good.  Can't wait to try it.  The WW version is 4 points (without the extra berries and the ice cream).

Have a happy holiday and stay gluten free...it's hard but it's worth it.

ps:  it tasted as good as it looked!
Karen, herself

Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

It's Memorial Day Weekend and I'm going to a a friend's place tomorrow and was asked to bring GF hamburger buns.  The only ones I know of are the Tapioca ones from Ener-G Foods, which are ok, but not great.  I searched online and found this recipe from Annalise Roberts and Claudia Pillow on another gluten free blog and tried it today.  Here is the result.  They look great.  I can only hope they taste as good as they look.  Haven't tried them yet as the recipe only made six and I wanted to take them all tomorrow.

If you're up for it, try them this weekend. Just follow the links above. I will be reporting back on the taste and with more photos after we try them!

Happy Holiday,

Karen, herself

Quinoa and Beet Salad with Tuna

Quinoa salad, tuna salad

3 cups red quinoa, cooked

1 green onion, sliced thinly

Italian parsley, chopped

1 roasted beet, diced

1 T lemon olive oil

1 T rice vinegar

1/4 tsp. dijon mustard

salt and pepper

I’ve been avoiding breads, pasta, and crackers in favor of whole grains of late and I created this quinoa salad by accident. I started out thinking that some green onion would be nice, then remembered I had parsley and then thought I would put in some left over roasted beet.  I dressed it with just a little vinaigrette made with my favorite olive oil (O and Co.'s  Au Citron). The result was sweet and savory and light. I made it for lunch one day and had enough to serve with dinner and several more lunches. I show it here with tuna salad, but it is also delicious with grilled chicken or fish.

My avoidance of bread has to do with my renewed efforts to control episodes of hypoglycemia and to fix my metabolism.  I recently found another program that is similar to The Schwartzbein Principle but that seems to fit more into my ongoing weight loss efforts with Weight Watchers — it's called Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads by Christine Avanti.  Christine is a nutritionist who, like Dr. Schwartzbein,  believes that fixing the metabolism is key to achieving optimum weight.  Her program involves eating protein and good carbs together with healthy fats (the PC combo) every 4 hours, keeping blood sugar even.  The difference is that the Skinny Chicks program is about 1400 calories per day which works out to be about 24 WW points and seems pretty compatible with Weight Watchers.

The one point that made me reevaluate what I have been doing is her recommendation to eat breakfast within one hour of waking and to never delay a meal. I tried this and noticed that I had fewer headaches.  I felt like slapping myself up the side of the head! I have known for years that I should never SKIP meals, but for some reason, I thought it was ok to DELAY my breakfast until after I exercised.  On my weigh-in days, I even delayed breakfast until after I weighed in...at 9:30 a.m.  I started wondering if this was triggering a 3-day headache in and of itself.  I also have been wondering if the calorie restriction of dieting itself was part of the problem.  So I am embracing eating by the numbers (21 g of protein and 30 g of carb per meal) and eating every four hours and having breakfast within one hour of waking.  So far, so good.  Headache days dropped from 4-5 to 1-2 per week. Not sure yet if it is a fluke.  It's only been three weeks, but it is incredible to get part of my life back.

Karen, herself

Happy Easter

Talking to my mother the week before Easter made me long for the Easter food I grew up with: Polish ham, fresh kielbasa and homemade Słodki Chleb, a sweet, egg bread with raisins. I often have this idea to recreate the old holidays, but since I left Detroit (over 30 years ago) I have never found a local source for fresh authentic Polish kielbasa. I thought Seattle must have such a place but in the nearly seven years I have lived here, I never found it...until this week. I discovered George’s Deli on Madison at Ninth Ave., and it was like a little bit of Slavic heaven on earth. Not only did I find kielbasa the likes of which I have not had outside of Detroit, but Kolachki (cookies) and Angel Wings and Polish horseradish.

Unfortunately, the cookies, bread, and potato pancake mixes were loaded with gluten. Happily, the kielbasa was not. Undeterred, I got out my grandmother's recipe for the sweet bread and my store of Jules’ Gluten Free Flour Mix and got to work. The recipe makes 2 loaves and takes 5 cups of flour, so I was a bit worried. What if it doesn't rise and I waste all that flour? Luckily, it rose like a champ and I have been nearly jumping around my kitchen with joy ever since. It was real bread. It was my grandmother's bread. It's aroma was intoxicating and the taste of it took me back to those Easter mornings of my childhood.

The kielbasa was to die for. I must have forgotten what real fresh kielbasa tastes like. It's not that heavy greasy stuff you get from the big name brands you find in the grocery. It's actually delicate and light and not greasy. The texture was soft. The garlic and herb taste was subtle, not heavy handed. If you want to know what real Polish kielbasa tastes like, go to George’s. For a gluten free version of Słodki Chleb, read on.

Grandma Cichon’s Słodki Chleb (Sweet Bread)

(makes 2 loaves)

3 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1 heaping cup sugar

1 1/2 cups milk, warm

1 pkg. yeast ( I proof with sugar)

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

5 cups flour (I used Jules’ GF All Purpose)

raisins (optional)

Dissolve yeast in water. Beat eggs until light. Add sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla and yeast mixture to eggs. Add flour, salt and nutmeg. Beat 200 times by hand (or 200 beats on medium with stand mixer with paddle). Let dough rise in large bowl (covered with cloth) until doubled in size (mine didn’t exactly double), about 1 1/2 hours. Beat down dough. Fill 2 greased loaf pans half full. Cover. Let rise again (usually GF flours don’t need this step but I did it anyway for about 30 minutes). Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes (mine took 45 mins.). Test for doneness. Let cool in oven with oven door open.

This bread is great just as it is, or toasted. Try it, you’ll like it.

Karen, herself

Beyond Brown Rice Pasta

2 oz. De Boles Gluten Free Multi Grain Penne, cooked

1/2 can tuna, drained

2 tsp. mayonnaise

1/4 tsp. dijon mustard

asparagus, chopped and steamed

1/4 red bell pepper, diced and steamed

freshly ground pepper

Are you tired of plain rice pasta? Do you long for something more like the whole wheat pasta you used to eat before abandoning gluten? I did. So when I spotted this multi grain penne I jumped at the chance to try it. It is made from Rice, Quinoa and Amaranth and cooks in 8-9 minutes. Its texture seems to me to be in between that of brown rice and whole wheat pasta, a little more firm than the former. The taste is more complex than just rice pasta. I really like it. I did notice that some other GF blogs have given it a definite “thumbs down” but I suspect they overcooked it. The box says to boil for 12-15 minutes! One thing I have learned in life is to cook rice pastas for 6-8 minutes and check them and only then let them cook on if they need it. Hate mushy pasta big-time. The pasta in my photo took a bit over 8 minutes and was perfect.

According to the nutritional label on the box, 2 oz. of this pasta contains 200 calories, 1.5 g fat, and 3 g fiber and 5 g protein. It also contains Xanthan Gum, for those of you who are interested.

So try it and see how you like it. I found it at PCC Market in Issaquah, WA. I have heard some people got it at Whole Foods and it is available on line as well. It would be interesting to see who else likes this product. If you’ve tried it, leave a comment.

Karen, herself

Black Bean Feta Chopped Salad

1 cup shredded mixed greens

mushrooms and zucchini sauteed in olive oil

1/2 small avocado, chopped

1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 stalk celery, diced

1 oz. sheep's milk feta, crumbled

1 tsp. olive oil/3/4 tsp. red wine vinegar

My gluten free self has become cranky. I am three years into this life and suddenly I am peeved (or worse) when I go to a high end restaurant in the Puget Sound area, where I have notified the staff ahead of time of my gluten intolerance, and upon arrival they are clueless, offer virtually no help and are even somewhat smug about my inability to eat some of the things on their menu. Last week I went to a place that has many wonderful cheese selections on their menu and I would have loved to have tried one of them, but didn’t because in my rush to leave the house, I neglected to bring my own GF crackers with me. I never used to feel put out when places answered “no” to my request for rice crackers, but now I feel definitely deprived and, yes, miffed. Why can't more places just have a box of rice crackers on hand?

It seems the more I notice how main stream gluten free food is the more annoyed I get with those who still don't get it. I know how this will sound to some, but I think it’s rude to invite people who cannot eat gluten to your home and serve things that are loaded with it and then say (maybe even with a laugh) ...oh, you can’t have this...or...just don't eat it (and watch everyone else groan with pleasure over it. Yeah, that’s fun).

I have started to shun parties and events where gluten is the main ingredient, even though I really wanted to go for the social aspect. Aside from my gluten issues, I also cannot skip meals because of my headaches, so going to a pizza parlor to watch my friends eat if I haven't eaten in seven hours is not an option. I even left a cranky message on the Starbucks free pastry day ad on Facebook today.

I think the reason I’ve gotten this way is that I know it can be better. I have been to places where the chef came out to meet me and made sure I not only was safe, but had an enjoyable meal. In Italy, the restaurant in the hotel we stayed at got out their GF pasta and made wonderful sauces for me. It’s not that hard.

Karen, her cranky self

Back on track

Finally got fed up with all the sugar crashes I was having, especially during exercise so as much fun as it was baking gluten free scones and bread, I am back to basics and really working the balance between my proteins, carbs and fats.

I've been struggling to lose about 10 lbs. since returning from a cruise over a year ago and keep getting waylaid by sugar crashes. Decided to go back to what the nutritionist said last year and am eating more food (sorry, Weight Watchers, but your points allowance for me is too low) protein and a little more fat and cutting back some on the carbs. The thing is, I am only eating a little less carb at meals and making sure they are whole grains or starchy vegetables or fruit. I aim for 30g at most meals unless it is right before our Naginata class, in which case I bump it up to 40-45g. If I then eat 3 oz. of protein, some vegetables, and a little high quality fat, I am ok and I don't crash during practice. Which is good.

An added benefit is that I am not so tired, I am not hungry all the time in between meals and I no longer crave sweets after meals. I am back to losing instead of gaining weight, but only a half a pound a week. It's better than gaining or staying the same so I am hanging in there. I am also hoping that it has a positive effect on my headaches—in other words to have fewer of them.

Sample Sunday lunch is featured in the photo: 2-egg omelette with neufchatel cheese, leftover roasted potatoes and eggplant, mushrooms and asparagus sauteed in butter and olive oil. Photo courtesy of my new Nikon 5000!! Yay!

With the new camera I am hoping to be posting more often and with better results.

Karen, herself

French Bread Gluten Free

As promised, I tried my old recipe for French bread with Jules Gluten Free Flour and while it tasted like French bread, it was gummy in the middle and had to be toasted to finish baking! Not deterred, I decided to try another recipe by Annalise Roberts in her Gluten-Free Baking Classics for French-Italian Bread (p. 131). This recipe requires mixing 5 different flours to achieve an artisan-like bread, but the rest of the recipe is very simple, so it really wasn’t so much trouble.

The 5 flour mix was: 2/3 cup of millet flour, 1/3 cup of sorghum flour, 1/3 cup cornstarch, 1/3 cup potato starch, and 1/3 cup tapioca starch. This gives you 2 cups of flour. I blended them together with a whisk in a large bowl and then added the rest of the dry ingredients for the bread: 1 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 4 tsps. sugar. I then proofed 1 packet of active yeast with a bit of sugar in water (110°) and added it to the dry ingredients (by this time in the bowl of a stand mixer) plus 2 tsp. of olive oil and 1 cup water, heated to 110°. The recipe says to beat on high for 3 minutes, then form into a loaf and place in oiled pan (I used a French bread pan) and let rise (loosely covered) in a warm spot for 40 minutes, then bake in a preheated 400° oven for 40-50 minutes. It came out great and made a sandwich to die for. Mine was smoked turkey with brie, dijon mustard and lettuce.

The same morning I made this I whipped up a loaf of Jules’ sandwich bread with her flour.

Here is a closeup on the French bread after I cut into it:

After not having eaten French bread in three years, I sat and ate my sandwich in blissful silence. It was soft inside and crunchy on the outside. Hats off to Annalise Roberts. Buy her book. You won’t be sorry.

Karen, herself

Gluten Free Spinach Quiche

Yesterday I thawed a homemade frozen gluten-free pate brisée and make a spinach quiche with it for dinner. I was once again inspired by Julia Child and used a combination of her recipes for quiche...the Quiche Lorraine (bacon, no cheese) and the spinach quiche (cheese, shallots and spinach). My version had bacon, spinach, shallots and cheese. Of course much butter and cream was involved as well.

It made me so happy to be making this again. I realized that I had not made a quiche in close to twenty years. More importantly, I do not think I have eaten quiche since going gluten free three years ago...not with crust and everything anyway. It was heavenly. Again I must thank Jules Gluten Free Flour for the light and fluffy crust...and all that butter.

I did in fact try making french bread with Jules’ flour and it tasted good, but didn’t totally bake in the center and was incredibly hard on the outside. Too hard for me and my TMJ so I tried toasting it and it did soften up enough to eat. Now the plan is to to try french bread with another flour mixture and see if that is better.

Monday we go back to less rich food, but for now we are indulging. Tonight it is braised veal chops, canellini beans with spinach and sauteed red cabbage.

Happy New Year!

Karen, herself