About

Welcome!

I am a American 20-something Ph.D. scientist with my gluten free husband whom I love and adore. I have a passion for cooking fresh, flavorful and exquisite tasting food that my husband can eat and we both can love.  My goals are to empower and inspire you to be able to play in the kitchen, particularly if you are on the gluten free side of life and may feel a bit more challenged to find inspiration for flavorful satisfying dishes.

Feel free to contact me or follow me on twitter, facebook, flickr, or google+.

Read on to learn about my food philosophy or check out the FAQ.

Food Philosophy

I have evolved the focus of this blog over time from when I began Jenn Cuisine back in 2008.  At first there was much less emphasis on making food gluten free – while we have always made gluten free food regularly, I was convinced that it shouldn’t be a big deal and so didn’t want to make it as such.  But cooking gluten free IS a big deal.  And it can be challenging, especially on the baking end of things.  But it can also be easy.  It is a big deal not just because of the added difficulty to some dishes, but because it is so much a part of my husband’s life.  We don’t do gluten free because it’s a fad thing to lose weight or whatever.  We do it because we have to, and because it will always be a part of our lives.  But I have learned that doesn’t mean that GF has to be a handicap, especially when it comes to cooking delicious food.  Learning and discovering the main concepts behind making gluten free food has been surprisingly freeing.  Always I am still learning, but the more and more experienced I become, the more and more my creativity is able to come out and I am able to just play and experiment.  And that’s where all the fun of cooking and creating food comes back.

I believe in eating real food that came from living plants and animals rather than “stuff” in a box that was synthesized through some chemical reaction.  There are reasons beyond the current green “trend” to really appreciate food, and that includes having an understanding of where food comes from and how it is made.  Food is deeply connected to how we define and see ourselves, and how we relate to others.  I am completely and utterly convinced of this, and each experience proves this to me time and again.  The more we remove ourselves from that awareness, the harder I think it is to enjoy and appreciate those simple pleasures when they come along.  After all, the act of biting into a freshly picked peach on a hot summer’s day – a peach so ripe that the fragrant juices start to dribble down your chin and onto your hands, leaving you quickly racing to lick your fingers to grab every last bit of its sweet glory before it falls to the ground – well, truly what can be more pleasurable than that?  Food is all about simplicity and pleasure, and sharing.

Because of this philosophy, this blog is about my cooking and finding ways to make and appreciate food and flavor, without being overly fussy.  At the end of the day, food is meant to be eaten, not hung on a wall in a museum.  I strongly feel that cooking should not be something people are afraid of – cooking, instead, is how you learn about yourself and develop or share your own culture as you interact with others and food.  Food is central to life, and beyond the calories are memories, emotions, and meaningful experiences that should never be ignored.