Bonjour de Paris!

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.

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.

Continue reading Croques Monsieurs

I’ve noticed an evolution in the kitchen dynamics between Jenn and I throughout the last several months.  I usually cook during the week (mostly simple dishes, I promise you) and Jenn tackles more complex dishes during the weekend.  As I have started cooking more, I’ve noticed that the types of food I am creating are slowly getting more involved.  It’s been very unexpected to me because I never thought I would actually get to a skill level where I could accomplish a task of cooking a satisfying tasty meal, let alone one someone else could enjoy.  As I progress, I am finding myself thinking more about what I want to cook and putting more of myself into the dishes – Jenn is always talking about how cooking is an emotional process, and I’m finally starting to see exactly what she means.

When I think about my favorite types of cuisine, I always come back to Italian flavors.  There is just something about the combination of spices and herbs that keep drawing me back, very similarly to the comfort foods that I remember growing up.  You should have seen the look on my face when Jenn made her gluten-free pizza.  I think I reverted back to my 4 year old self and acted like I just received my first “big boy bike.”  In fact, I can still remember when I got my first bike.  It was a “big wheels.”  For everyone out there who doesn’t remember “big wheels,” they are basically a plastic tricycle and mine had GI-Joe stickers so I could use it on missions to save the world.  When my parents gave it to me I lit up light a Christmas tree and couldn’t wait to take it outside and try it out.  Of course, my idea of trying it out was riding the bike through the house and adventurously taking it down a flight of stairs.  I didn’t say I was the smartest kid.  The way I reacted to my new bike was very similar to my feelings about having fantastic new food to enjoy.

Whoever invented the phrase “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” surely had me in mind, because for me food can evoke some very powerful memories and feelings, even if a dish is completely new to me.  I can’t help it though, being able to eat certain foods that I have been away from for so long has a way of making me a little nostalgic – it’s one of the things I love about food, and about cooking.

So, in the spirit of Italian cuisine, I created this pesto chicken dish that combines several flavors to make a mouth watering meal you will want to make over and over again.  This will remain a staple for me for a long time, and I hope it does for you too. Continue reading The Gluten Free Husband Makes Pesto & Pepper Chicken