My girls prefer chocolate pudding to vanilla. This pudding is very chocolatey, which makes them very happy.

Last week I got word from the allergist that my youngest has an egg allergy that is contributing to her worsening eczema. So along with baking gluten free, casein free, soy free and peanut free, I have the pleasure of adding egg-free to that list. Oh, and coconut too. Sigh.
Luckily I have a really awesome scone recipe that is already originally egg free, I just had to make it gluten and casein free. The fact that there is no egg and not much liquid makes these scones dry inside, which I love. They go great with a cup of tea or a glass of milk for the kids. Having made these, I feel better about baking with so many restrictions. It can be done. And the results taste good too.
These scones are best warm and will keep on the counter for a day. After a day, store in the fridge or freezer and reheat until warm in the microwave or the oven before serving.

Frittatas are are fabulous. They are easy and fast and versatile, a good kitchen sink type of recipe for whatever lonely vegetables are hanging around in the crisper. They are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and leftovers (if you happen to have any) reheat well the next day. This particular frittata recipe, originally by Cooking Light is one all four family members enjoy (sans salsa for Anna - she can't handle the sauce texture). If you like, you can add 3 cups of crushed tortilla chips to this recipe - saute with the onions and proceed with the recipe as directed.

Chicken Potpie might sound involved, but it's really not. It's a nice change from chicken soup and it sticks to your ribs, which is great for cold weather. To this recipe I added red lentils and leftover rice, which made the dish thick and hearty, but if you like a little more liquid then use red lentils OR cooked rice. The red lentils don't take long to cook, they dissolve nicely and they lend a pretty color to the dish.

This is one of my favorite quick breads. It's so easy to throw together - great for after the holidays when you might not want to do much baking. And the best thing is - it comes out great every time.

I remember making these Snickerdoodles when we first went on the GFCFSF diet almost two years ago (wow, I can't believe how easily the lingo rolls off my tongue now!). It was one of the first cookie recipes I adapted. Anna's face lit up as I offered her a cookie, and it was gone practically before I could blink. Just the memory of her face and her smile makes the little bit of work involved in "the diet" completely worth it. She's engaged and happy and growing like a weed. Two years later I love the diet, I have no second thoughts, there are no regrets. And gosh darn it, these cookies taste good.

This was originally a Penzey's recipe for Apple Bread. I tried it two different ways - one with pears and one with apples and some applesauce to replace half the oil. Our favorite was the one with the pears. If you'd like to use apples instead, grate 2 apples in place of the pears and nix the cinnamon sugar. If you'd like to lower the fat content, replace half the canola oil with 1/4 cup applesauce. The bread comes out fabulously moist either way.

These pancakes are so pretty. They stack nicely, and everybody loves them. What more can you ask for in a pancake?

I have a friend who makes really great onion rings. The first time she made them for me, I scarfed nearly half of them because it'd been so long since I'd had onion rings and hers were much better than I remember onion rings ever being. She showed me how to make them. The key is to toss a few at a time with a little bit of crumbs - you can't reuse the crumbs because they clump together and don't coat the onions well. And you can't get impatient and stuff the fry basket full of onion rings because they'll all stick together.

This recipe was recently featured in a Penzey's catalog. You can find the original recipe, which is called Cinnamon Supper Cupcakes, here. I like the name Sandbox Cake better - the kids think it's cute. I made this in a baking dish and served it as a coffeecake. It turned out so good that not even the crumbs lasted long.