My Love Affair with Fruit Continues – Summer Fruit Salad

Summer Fruit Salad

For the two of us, this summer has been all about fresh fruit.  Of course we all know my love affair with strawberries, but now that the season has passed, I’ve branched out to enjoy the other tasty sweets nature has to give us along with the bright summer sun.  Whether it be sharing a fresh carton of blackberries while walking home from work, picking raspberries on a path out on an evening walk, or waking up in the morning with yogurt, granola, and slices of apricots that aim to be as sweet as the ripest of peaches, we certainly have been enjoying our fruits!  And then there are figs.  I like to wait til they are super soft, so delicate a firm grip would end them in a fit of a sticky disaster oozing everywhere.

Not every fruit needs to be sweet to be enjoyed.  Currants are a tart little explosive burst of flavor when they enter your mouth.  At first I was a bit skeptical of my potential love for this fruit because of that, but they have really become a staple in our kitchen the past few weeks.  I enjoy their tartness, especially paired with something sweet.  They are perfect for balancing sweetness, and are exactly why they are such an integral part of this salad.

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Gluten Free Substitutions Part III – Easy One Ingredient Substitutions

_PAG1524cheese California Style Cheesecake

Welcome to Installment III of the weekly series here at Jenn Cuisine, all about gluten free substitutions.  Last week I showed how many great gluten free dishes you already know how to make, and this week I’m actually going to get into some substitutions.   The easiest substitutions don’t involve the many mysterious white bags of flour, as my friend Wendy so aptly described the myriad of gluten free ingredients commenting on my intro post.  This week is all about the one ingredient substitutions that are so easy to incorporate into several of your favorite meals.  I’m going to cover just a few of the most common substitutions that we use to make gluten free dishes, and I would really like to know what some of your tricks and techniques are as well! Continue reading Gluten Free Substitutions Part III – Easy One Ingredient Substitutions

Croques Monsieurs

Bonjour de Paris!

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So, in case you haven’t talked to me in a while, I recently found a new love in life.  It’s called Paris, and is this city in France.   And what perfect timing, for this month’s GAHIGF theme is all about French cuisine!  We decided to go to Paris one weekend because one of my blogging friends, Lauren of Celiac Teen, was on holiday with her family, and so our little trip was also a great way to finally meet in person!  My husband and I had so much fun hanging out for the day, and we got to see a lot of the beautiful sights around the city.  Ha maybe too much for a day, but it was perfect.

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I can’t possibly just cut this down to a couple pictures, so you are going to have to come along for the ride that was our amazing day in Paris!  Here are some adventures to maybe the three most iconic features of the city – to see the rest of the trip I’ve got a set in my flickr devoted to France.

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