Well, The Party Has Begun!

My wonderful friends and family are in celebration mode now that Delightfully Free is here. 

The other night, a few of us got together for dinner, excitedly exchanging stories about the different people who we have been able to share the cookbook with. After a yummy (and need I say, healthy GF, DF) dinner and it was time for dessert, my sweet and amazing cousin Debbie pulled out her magnum opus. It was, of course, GF, DF and refined SF (we can check those boxes), but, it was so much more as you can see! 

Made entirely from fresh fruit, this colorful “cake” took old school “fruit cake” to a whole new level. The core of the cake was a sweet, juicy watermelon, cut in the shape of a two layer cake. Kiwi, blueberries, green grapes and tangerine sections made up a mosaic of color and shape garnished further with dark chocolate dipped strawberries. Around the base of the cake she scrolled the word “Celebrate!” in the dark chocolate. 

The entire thing was just the cutest burst of color and flavor, lovingly made into what I would call a true food party. 

Pull Out The Cookie Sheets!   Roll Out The Cake Pans!   It's Time For A Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free Pizza Party!!! 

 I told you it was going to happen, and now it's here! Delightfully Free, the completely GF, DF, refined SF cookbook has arrived and is ready to go! 

To order your cookbook, Click on the "Buy Now" button to be taken to a secure PayPal site

It would be one thing if the recipes in this book were marginal, just Ok, only good if you hadn't eaten anything tasting better than cardboard for the last few years...but that is NOT what we have here. These recipes have been tried and proven on many grateful guinea pigs, and here are a few things that they had to say...

 “I loved your recipes so much that I have told all of my friends, and they want a cookbook. Please send me 20 copies, I think I'll have them sold by Monday!”

 “Your chocolate chip cookies are so fluffy and delicious, no one could even tell that they are gluten free!”
 

“Finally, lasagna!! I really missed lasagna! Are you sure there is no cheese in there?!”

 “What do you mean 'there are BLACK BEANS in these brownies!!' There's no way you could have a can of black beans in this recipe! These are absolutely delicious!!”

 “How great is this!...'Buttermilk' Ranch Dressing! Thought I'd never taste that again!”

 “That Crunchy Snack Mix is so good, it's sick!” 

“This Cream Sauce is fabulous!! I can't believe it's made of cauliflower!!!”

Sound tempting? I invite you to see for yourself, or should I say taste for yourself! Click on ORDER COOKBOOK & have yours in 5 to 7 days.

The Mysterious Nagami Kumquat

I just love getting reminded of wonderful tastes and textures. Recently, at a wedding reception, the kumquat caught my attention. The caterer had used the Nagami Kumquat as a colorful addition and twist to his Mediterranean-themed salad. The Nagami is an oval-shaped fruit about the size of a Brazil nut and it is in a category all its own because it has a sweet skin which gives way to a slightly sour taste inside. It is eaten with the skin still on so that the sweet and sour tastes delight the taste buds together.

In this instance, the caterer had simply halved each Nagami and tossed them into his salad where they added to the attractiveness of his dish, but more importantly, added zing and exotic flavor. I was so taken with them that I leaned over to my husband, Brian, and said “these kumquats are a great idea in this salad. I'm going to have to come up with some recipes featuring kumquats,” to which Bri responded “is that what they are? I thought maybe they were some kind of medallion tomato.”

That's not to say my husband is not a sophisticated eater. But, it does point up how infrequently he's enjoyed kumquats in anything he's been served {by me included!} But, this little fruit has too many benefits to be ignored.

According to Livestrong.com (www.livestrong.com/article/310690-nutritional-values-of-kumquats), 8 raw kumquats, which total 108 calories, provide 66.7 mg vitamin C with the daily recommended allowance being 75 for women and 90 for men. Eight kumquats also have 9.9 g of dietary fiber. The daily recommended by the Institute of Medicine is 25 g for women and 38 g for men. This little fruit also is a good source of vitamin A, Riboflavin and calcium.

Well, after knowing I liked the taste and benefits of kumquats, Bri set about locating some for me and learned that they are not so easy to find. None of our markets had them and even his “go-to” sources for more exotic items didn't carry them. He finally found them at a nursery that sold produce as well. So, having put that much work into locating them and knowing he'd be asked to do it again, Bri showed up with a baby Nagami kumquat tree which now resides in our backyard.

Nagami Kumquat

Meiwa Kumquat

In the course of his search for a Nagami kumquat tree, my husband learned about kumquat variations. He told me about the Meiwa kumquat tree which has a round shaped fruit and is sweet. He hasn't yet found the fruit, but he found the tree and, you guessed it, it's now the Nagami's newest neighbor.

Interestingly, the Meiwa has many more first-time buds, so I'll have to start thinking about what to do with them. Given the difficulty locating the kumquat fruit, it may be rewarding to plant your own if you have the space and right climate. I will let you know how our two variations do and what that Meiwa tastes like as soon as I know.   
 

Lots of exciting things happening around here!

Less of the cooking & baking right now, and more of the preparations and set up for the arrival of the Delightfully Free cookbooks we've been waiting for!

I have it on good authority that the cookbooks will be here and ready for sales in a matter of days!!! I feel like throwing a party! Soon anyone and everyone can cook and bake completely guilt free. In just a few days, healthy meals, treats and what would seem like “illegal” indulgences, especially where gluten free, dairy free and sugar free limitations are concerned, will be available to all! I've wanted so much to share this with everyone and now, it is about to happen!!! Be sure to check back in the next few days for my big announcement!