A number of years ago we spent Christmas holiday in Florence, Italy.  On Christmas Eve, we took 30 minutes drive to Siena.  Although every Italian city and village has a city plaza, or piazza, Siena’s is different, it is fan shaped, and slopes downward to the base of the fan where a beautiful Catholic church [...]

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In the Provence region of France, Christmas Eve dinner quite often ends with thirteen different desserts, symbolizing Jesus and the twelve apostles.  When we hear the phrase, “….and visions of sugar plums danced in their heads,” we are told by food historians that it derives from the custom, originating during Queen Victoria’s reign in the [...]

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In Eastern Orthodox faith, Christmas is celebrated two weeks later than in most other Christian faiths. And, of course, although Muslims in the Levant do not celebrate this holiday, they participate in the Santa Claus tradition so their children do not fee left out.  In fact, in Damascus, each neighborhood hires someone to play Santa [...]

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Everyday until Christmas, I will post a Christmas tradition from around the world and recipe for a gluten free dessert. In France, the Christmas tree is put up and decorated on the morning of December 24th, and the day ends with an elaborate dinner.  In Damascus, the same is done, most likely reflecting the fact [...]

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This is the first post in an ongoing series about Gluten Free cooking and a Gluten Free lifestyle. Before talking about cooking Gluten Free food, you must know what Gluten is. Gluten is a protein that exists mainly in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is very common in a standard American diet, but nearly 3.5 [...]

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As you know by now, I love parties and I love to be part of the fun. When I plan my dinners whether for 4 or for 40, I make sure that most of my foods can be prepared ahead of time to be baked, warmed or served as is on the day of the party. I try [...]

Filed under: Appetizers, Salads, Side Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian, gluten free | No Comments »

If you’re planning a dinner this holiday season, my best piece of advice is to do something that won’t cause you to panic. There is enough stress around the year-end holidays without adding the stress that comes from trying to plan a huge meal for your friends and family.  By all means, do not try [...]

Filed under: Food Allergies, General Posts, Seasonal, Side Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian, gluten free | No Comments »