I found something really great the other day and I was so pleased I could hardly contain my excitement.

I’d heard of Tate’s Bake Shop and I knew they made what were supposed to be some of the best gluten free chocolate chip cookies in The Hamptons. The thing about that is, I just don’t seem to make it out to The Hamptons all that often. I keep waiting for the Jitney to pick up at Beverly Glen and it never does. While I wait, I sometimes wander into Gelson’s, which, when you think about it, is kind of like the Hamptons. It’s generally full of cranky old people with money to burn and everything there costs twice as much as it would anywhere else.  Well what do you know, the other day in Gelson’s I happened upon none other than THE cookies from Tate’s! Packaged and ready to go at only $6 something a bag! I snatched up a bag and basically ate the whole thing in one sitting.

You all know that my first gluten free cookie love will always be GLOW but these cookies are different. Glow cookies are more substantial and chunkier with a great classic chocolate chip cookie flavor. These Tate’s cookies are thin, crispy rather than crunchy (a very real distinction) and sooooooo buttery. I was so excited by the thought that I would now be able to pick up a bag any time I wanted, no postage, no jitney! I would have to brave the old fogeys and sticker shock at Gelson’s but I could surely manage that. Well, friends, imagine my SHOCK, SURPRISE and SHEER JOY at discovering these EXACT cookies hiding out in disguise at my personal house of worship, Trader Joe’s!

Nice job trying to trick us, guys but even Violet can tell that these are the same cookies in different clothing. I taste tested them (just to make sure) and I am positive. Now my biggest problem is trying to make a bag last longer than two days! You’ve gotta try these.

Where do I begin? I suppose I should offer a brief explanation for my absence. I can hardly believe it’s been almost three months since the last time I posted here. The main reason I took a break from blogging was that my computer decided it had had just about enough of me. Every time I tried to upload pictures it would moan and groan and get so hot I could barely put my hands on it. After replacing the fan and doubling the RAM (which I did all by myself! Whatup now, computer? whatup now?!) my laptop is back on track. I <3 my Mac! $100 and a little elbow grease makes a five-year-old computer good as new!

Another reason for my mini-break is…I got a new job! I love, love, love my job. It’s a perfect fit for me. I work minutes from my house, I have the most wonderful co-workers anyone could ask for and the job itself is like a dream come true. I couldn’t be happier, I am pinching myself every day, I don’t know how I got so lucky! Working and daylight savings has made it hard for me to post. I get home from work and I’m sleepy and its dark and I have little desire to cook and even less desire to write a post. The thing is…I miss this! I miss this space and I miss you. Hi. I’m back.

One more note before we get to the food bits. Remember my last post about my crummy photo skillz? Well I finally did something about it! I have been taking basic photography classes at Santa Monica College. My teacher, Jones is hilarious and awesome. I have learned so much. Sadly, the photos for this recipe were taken before I started the class but I’m hoping over the next few weeks and months you will see some improvement. And now…on to the food.

I discovered this recipe on Pinterest AKA crack for twenty/thirty-something-girls. I saw it, it looked awesome, I made it, it was, the end.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 pound asparagus
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 lb. gluten free rotini (I love Ancient Harvest Corn and Quinoa Blend)
- 1/4 lb butter, cut into pieces
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Heat oven to 400F. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1 inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1 tsp of salt. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.

While asparagus roasts, add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until about 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar. Remove from the heat.

Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan.

Serve with additional Parmesan.

Adapted from Food and Wine.

yikes, too bright.

Okay, the pictures for this recipe are kind of weird. The truth of the matter is that I have no idea how to take pictures. Everything I know about photography I learned by trial and error and a 2 minute, exasperated lesson once attempted by a friend who got fed up with my utter lack of basic photographic knowledge. Taking pictures of food is one of those skills I wish I could just be blessed with without having to put in the necessary grunt work of “learning” and “understanding.” I don’t learn well by reading. I get fidgety and antsy and the technical stuff makes my eyes glaze over. My solution has been to fly by the seat of my pants; point, shoot, look, adjust the aperture, point, shoot, hope for the best. Seriously. That is how I take every picture you see on this blog.

Sometimes, this works out okay for me. The secret to any of the halfway decent looking pictures on this site is my lens. The same frustrated would-be photo instructor advised me a while back that I needed a good macro lens. I got one and suddenly my creepy, congealed, shadowy risottos were looking steaming, colorful and bokeh-riffic. A lens can only take you so far though. I think it’s time for me to invest in a class or two with a real teacher who is used to teaching numbskulls like myself what all those weird looking buttons and knobs do. In the meantime, I will keep doing my best to show you the food I cook while attempting to keep the grease/cheese/cornstarch off my camera. It sounds easier than it is.

out of focus/too dark

This recipe is so quick and easy it’s a joke but it also happens to be spectacular and a great way to use up not-so-tasty cherry or grape tomatoes or those that are inching past their prime. Oven-roasting tomatoes brings out their fruitiness and sweetness while garlic, balsamic and goat cheese turn a handful of tomatoes into a rich, complex and creamy sauce. With only a few ingredients and a very minimal investment of time, you have a perfect summer supper.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 Tbsp garlic infused olive oil
- 1 small clove garlic, thinly sliced
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tsp good balsamic vinegar
- 2-3 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese (I used Mitica Cana de Cabra, a tangy, slightly sour, super creamy spanish cheese that I am currently obsessed with)

- 8-10 oz dried spaghetti

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 F

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

flashy!

Toss halved tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and vinegar together in a bowl then spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Place the sheet in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

While tomatoes are roasting, prepare your preferred spaghetti of choice (I’ll say it again, mine is Ancient Harvest Corn/Quinoa blend) according to the specifications on the package.

I don't even know...

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and immediately toss them with pasta and goat cheese until the cheese has melted and formed a sauce with the tomatoes and their juices.

jesus, this cheese looks menacing

Inhale. Rejoice.

at least it tastes good!