yummy and gluten free

In the past year my sister-in-law was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which means no more wheat, barley or rye. As a budding cook, and Italian, this was beyond disappointing. What about pasta, and holiday cookies!? But not one to let this condition get in the way of eating great foods (thank goodness cheese isn't on the list) we have been experimenting with gluten free meals in our home.

This past weekend she and I were looking forward to a couple of days of sitting. No plans were made except to make some food. We made my mom's Mac & Cheese and subbed in brown rice pasta shells and all purpose gluten-free flour and roasted some brussel sprouts in Old Bay seasoning to add a much-needed vegetable. I also introduced her to deviled eggs and much to my surprise, and delight, she liked them! A little something about my husband and sister-in-law: they hate mayo! Everything about it. I wouldn't say I love it but I do like what it can add to a deviled egg or pasta salad or sandwich. It wasn't until recently that I finally put my foot down and started keeping it in the refrigerator again. And to have it on hand just in case you want to make a couple of deviled eggs, well that's just wonderful.

I hesitated on posting about this past weekend's food fun as, shamefully, I forgot to take any pictures! But just know that it looked amazing in the way that homemade macaroni and cheese should. When it's just out of the oven and the cheesy mix is still bubbling and when you finally take your first bite and realize that there is even more cheese hiding in the shell...delicious. And our roasted brussel spouts were truly a perfect complement.

On Sunday our adventure to consume only tasty things continued and we walked to Java Joe to get some pumpkin spice coffee. I usually indulge frequently in pumpkin spice coffee from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters during the fall into winter but it had been sold out online for some time. I was so pleased to stumble upon a local shop that carried this cozy sign of the holidays for me.

Next week I will be posting some images that I actually did take from last weekend of an impromptu craft project!