About

What's up with the name? Are you going to poison me?

Nope. The name of the blog is sort of a summary of how I became gluten free. After several months of 'trying out' the gluten free thing, I ate a wheat brownie. A new friend had made them, I was seduced by the mingling smells of butter and chocolate, and I didn't want to inconvenience her with my dietary preferences. I got really, really sick- like, up all night doubled over, sick. After that, I became more comfortable advocating for myself. I decided to stick to things like the epicly-delicious s'more made from Mi-Del Ginger Snaps and a marshmallow I toasted over the stove in my little city apartment. My new friend, by the way, was incredibly nice about the whole debacle. She made me some GF brownies with white and dark chocolate chips the next week, and is now one of my best tastetesters.

What differentiates this blog from other ones?

A couple of things. First, I do not presuppose that you have calibrated your tastebuds with cardboard. The phrase "it's pretty good, for gluten free" makes me sad. If something isn't quite right, it goes back to the drawing board. Second, I am an enthusiastic disciple of Einstein's idea that everything should be as simple as possible, but no simpler. That means that I do my best to hypothesize and test like a scientist, even with "common knowledge," which, surprisingly often, turns out to be bunk. I make things over and over in different ways, attempting to streamline the process as much as possible. So, while your xanthan gum is hydrating, your yeast are also multiplying. If mixing dry ingredients separately from wet doesn't make the end product better, I won't ask you to do it.  I also won't preach at you about cross contamination, but will try to give certified GF options where I can- your life, your choice.

How do you make money?

Through ads. Also, the Amazon product links contain a tracking ID that pays me a small percentage of what you buy, at no cost to you. All ingredients are chosen because they're best for the job, with no consideration for profit, and links are added later for anything that's sold on Amazon. This is not just for moral reasons, but also because I believe that doing business with integrity is the best way to get repeat customers. So, it's fair to you and beneficial for me.  If you want to support this blog but prefer to buy your flours elsewhere, you can click here or on any of the links you find in the posts and buy anything you want- it doesn't have to be cooking related. 

So what's your story?

I quit my edifying but often stressful and frustrating job late in the summer of 2012, hopped in the car with a couple bins of kitchen equipment, and drove to Southern California. Shortly thereafter, I procured an impossibly short-legged chihuahua mix rescue with an affinity for sliced turkey and squeaky balls.  Making him happy makes me happy, so we spend a lot of our free time at the beach, chasing seagulls, sniffing other dogs' butts (well, only one of us does that), exploring cliffs, lying on our backs in the sun, and otherwise frolicking.