Kitchen Activites

So this is how I’ve been keeping busy over the past week or so… it took 3 tries, but here I present:

Gluten-free, vegan, low-sugar (but still yummy!) Pumpkin Pie

3.5 Tbsp tapioca flour (or cassava, from Asian or Caribbean grocery)**

• 400g EcoMil vanilla almond dessert (recipe originally called for amazake; soya dessert could also work but haven’t tried it)
• 125g fructose
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 4 tsp. cinnamon or to taste
• 2 tsp. mixed spice or to taste
• 100g firm silken tofu (Clearspring UHT is good)
• 425g cooked and pureed pumpkin – Libby’s gives best results, use whole can (organic pumpkin wasn’t as good)
• 9” or 10” gluten-free pie crust – I used ready-made pastry (Genius) but it does have some whey in it; read ingredients carefully

Note: This is not a quick recipe! It’s faster with a food processor or blender to puree the mixture, but allow at least an hour to get the filling ready.

Cook the tapioca flour in the vanilla dessert until the mixture has thickened enough to stand a spoon in it. (more…)

You can even find ready to drink teas that confidently say “Southern Style” on their product labels; however I make certain that most people can enjoy the authentic thing much more. In the southern area of United States, sweet iced tea is really an old-fashioned beverage that it is basically recognized as “Tea”. Without having need to specify the sweetness, or even the ice!

If all your family is anything like mine, you will know that nothing at all is better to drink than an iced sweet tea. It enhances any meal tastes better on a hot day. Only a handful of sweet tea is just like you most likely know. I don’t also bother to buy tea from certain menu as it is either instant tea or even brewed tea without having taste.

After several years of raising 4 kids and marital relationship of almost 35 years, (more…)

This past week I worked on organizing my friend’s top-freezer in her kitchen.  It was a blast, probably because friendship – and children playing together nicely – makes any project go by quickly.

I spent two afternoons with her and a few trips to one of my favorite stores, The Container Store.  I hadn’t been there in a while and if I wasn’t focused on finishing Mollie’s freezer, I may have gotten swept away in their giant Spring Organization Sale going on now.  But I remained strong (ha!) and powered through. (more…)

I have a terrible habit of welcoming people into my home and then forgetting to offer them a drink.  It’s either a mental block or early dementia but it’s ridiculous!  So, I created a permanent drink station on my kitchen island and then tweak the decorating details with each new season.

I’m not joking when I say, I could literally serve a five-course meal to guests and completely forget about offering a beverage to them.  Thankfully, my husband and now even my daughter are quick to make this most basic gesture of hospitality.  Because of those two, no one leaves here parched.  However, my side-kicks aren’t always around when I have company in the kitchen.
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