Easter Brunch! (Entirely dairy and gluten free)

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My "tablescape" (the term "tablescape" reminds me a bit too much of Sandra Lee, but considering it's not just orange juice in those glasses, that might be appropriate).

My mom, my friend Fan and I hosted a gluten free and dairy free Easter brunch for nine today. Click through for more pictures and information!

Almond, Coconut and Banana Pancakes: Taking my "elimination diet" to new heights of unhealthiness!

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You know you want to eat these. Also, please note the delicious bacon in the back. Mmmm, bacon.

The "easy" way to do gluten, soy, and dairy free is to eat very simple, healthy foods: fruit, vegetables, meats, and nut products that are simply prepared and not doused in sauces. However, that can get really, really boring, and I like cooking. And I wanted to eat something other than eggs for breakfast.

I am not very experienced with using "alternative" flours, and the idea of fake food grosses me out, so I sought help from the internet in finding an acceptable pancake recipe. This pancake recipe from Against All Grain looked delicious, and had awesome reviews, so I doubled it and made my first attempt at cooking with alternative flour.

Pseudo-Samoa Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes: Happy Birthday, I am gluten, dairy, and soy free!

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Happy Birthday Mom and Eric!

I am trying an "elimination diet." No gluten, no dairy, no soy. Hopefully this helps with some health issues I've been experiencing, and so far, it's not *that* bad (side note: probably shouldn't be drinking so much wine on an elimination diet, but, eh). Also, I won't lie: I sort of really want the Cool Ranch Dorito Taco from Taco Bell. I should be ashamed of that, but I am not. 

Last weekend at my brother's going away party, everyone else had cake and ice cream, and I got to stare at their plates (guess what I had for dessert: wine!). So, I decided that the only way to ensure that I could eat my mom's birthday cake was to make it myself. I looked at some restrictive diet websites, and although I didn't find a cake recipe that I liked, this flourless fudge brownie recipe over at Yammie's Glutenfreedom did inspire me.

Something Like Saag: Attempting Indian

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This picture doesn't look very appetizing- just very green. 

This isn't really a story. I like Indian food. I am decent at making curries, so why not try saag, since I always order it at Indian restaurants? 

My mom was confused. She kept asking me what it was, and what was in it, and telling me she had "something like this before." I kept telling her it was Indian food, and she kept asking. Ah, Nibblet. 

Simple Spinach and Sausage Lasagna (Lasagne?) for Mina

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Lasagna is kind of ugly.

Lasagna (or apparently, lasagne) is very easy to make, and I guess I could make this post more "exciting"by making my own sauce, but alas, I was lazy yesterday, and Mina requested a lasagna recipe. Additionally, my brother is moving to New Jersey and will be living alone, so this is a basic recipe for him to reference when he has to start cooking for himself regularly. But, the pictures in this post are super boring. 

Also, while I wouldn't describe myself as a super-healthy cook (I love butter, and olive oil, and cheese, and carbs, and the word "paleo" makes me involuntarily scrunch up my face and make gagging noises- sorry!), I always try to ensure that my food isn't devoid of nutritional content, so I did add spinach and onions to this recipe, and only used 3 layers of noodles to avoid making this dish too pasta-heavy.

Butternut Squash Soup: Bribery Helps

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Soup/ Bisque

I think I mentioned this a while ago, but I flew to Florida in late October to be maid of honor in my friend Lauren's wedding. Her ceremony was held at sunset on the beach in St. Pete's, and was absolutely gorgeous, if a bit windy. The reception was a blast (nothing like dancing to Nicky Minaj's "Pound the Alarm" with your mom), and after the dancing ended, my friend Mina almost worked up the courage to go in the ocean. 

Trying to get Mina to go swimming. She has a fear of "natural bodies of water."

Unfortunately, when we woke up the next morning, we all faced the nasty reminder that the winds that had only slightly marred the ceremony the night before were a mild side effect of Super Storm Sandy. With the giant storm approaching the Northeast, many of our flights were delayed or cancelled.

Almond Scones with Orange Glaze

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In addition to slacking off when it comes to posting my recipes and food creations, I can also slack off when it comes to providing requested food items. I told my mom I would make these delicious-looking almond scones for Valentine's Day, and I failed to bake scones until today.

In my defense, I made her three kinds of homemade truffles, and these delicious chocolate cupcakes for Valentine's Day, so I thought the scones might not be fully appreciated with all of the cocoa-based competition:

Side note: Ringing endorsement from my brother- "This is the first scone I've eaten that I haven't felt like I had a mouth full of dirt. Is this how they're supposed to taste? Not like those hard-as-a-rock things from the grocery store?" (Answer to both questions: Yes!).