Gluten-free Carrot Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

We had a JAWS (Blu-Ray) viewing party over the weekend, so I made these tiny carrot cakes.  I can’t think of a thing to tie these events together, so I guess I fail at theme parties. Incredible taste aside, my favorite thing about carrot cake is the interesting texture.  The recipe is so forgiving, you… Continue reading Gluten-free Carrot Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Maple-Bourbon Smoked Pork Belly

Modified from Los Angeles Times What a smoking weekend!  Determined to clear out some of the pork products in the freezer, we decided to get the Big Green Egg smoking most of the day Saturday with a pork shoulder roast (aka pork butt) and a pound of pork belly.  We’ve been getting pork belly every… Continue reading Maple-Bourbon Smoked Pork Belly

Pork Chops with Sweet Potato and Fennel Hash

Pork chops are so easy.  They cook up quickly without much fuss, which makes them great for mid-week dinners.  I especially like pork paired with something that has a little sweetness.  Fruits like apples, cherries, and apricots are clear winners – but so are the sugars from slowly caramelized fennel, onion, and sweet potatoes in… Continue reading Pork Chops with Sweet Potato and Fennel Hash

Crustless Mini Pecan Pies (grain-free)

Pie filling recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated (membership required to view link) This recipe may have been born out of my inability to concoct a gluten-free pie crust that meets my satisfaction, but that doesn’t mean these crust-less gems give up anything that you expect in a pecan pie.  They are every bit as gooey… Continue reading Crustless Mini Pecan Pies (grain-free)

Lemon Blueberry Cake (grain-free)

James surprised me the other day with a copy of Wheat Belly, which I had just added to my reading list.  This book, written by a cardiologist , exposes the fallacies behind what we’ve been told for decades – that we should eat whole grains for better health.  Dr. Davis postulates that not only is… Continue reading Lemon Blueberry Cake (grain-free)

Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Original recipe – Gluten and Grain-Free, no refined sugars Be it a birthday celebration, or the end to a tough week, (or BOTH), we all need a treat now and then.  This carrot cake did it for us – and without adding any grains! Truth be told, I was skeptical about how a cake would… Continue reading Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Bacon-Bourbon Jam (with Bangers)

I ran across this recipe on Serious Eats and thought it sounded pretty good….but this was soooo beyond good!  This bacon jam is unbelievably tasty – so amazing that James said it was “slap your momma”-good (adding not my momma, no one would ever want to slap her).  Bacon is great on it’s own, but… Continue reading Bacon-Bourbon Jam (with Bangers)