Spring is full of new beginnings and new publications!  In the midst of lacrosse season, spring break trips to Japan, and getting my students ready for exams, I’ve had two new articles published that I want to share with you. (And, as you know, I always love seeing my name in print!)

Next time you’re at Whole Foods, check out the most April/May issue of Living Without Magazine, which includes an article I wrote about traveling through Montana and Wyoming.  This trip exceeded my expectations with outdoor adventures, beautiful scenery, and gluten-free dining.  It feels like ages ago that I was out west, hiking, fishing, spending time with friends and checking out the restaurant scene, but this article allowed me to reflect on that special time.

The Spring 2011 issue of Atlanta’s Finest Dining (which is free, by the way) has an article I wrote called Simple Spring Grilling, which has the recipe for this yummy salmon as well as thoughts on spring cooking.  (You can see the whole article online by clicking here.)  David and I just purchased a dining table for our back porch, so this gives us even more reason to fire up the grill and enjoy the beautiful Atlanta weather.

The most recent issue of Atlanta’s Finest Dining Magazine has just hit shelves.  Pick up your free copy and check out my latest article, about making roast chicken.  This is a favorite recipe of mine in the winter months, as it’s super easy to make and looks beautiful, surrounded by roasted veggies.

You can also find the article online: Meals from a Gluten-Free Kitchen

I’ve included the roast chicken recipe below for my devoted readers:

Winter Roast Chicken (Inspired by Barefoot Contessa, via my sister-in-law, Heidi): Serves 3-5

Ingredients:

• 1 whole (4-6 lb.) roasting chicken
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• Sprigs of thyme and rosemary
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head of garlic, halved
• Salt and pepper
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• Assortment of root vegetables, chopped into relatively equal sizes (I like to use red potatoes, baby carrots, and rutabagas)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 425.  Remove any chicken giblets from the inside of chicken.

Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Brush chicken with melted butter.  (If you would like to make this recipe dairy free, use olive oil instead of butter.)  Sprinkle outside and interior of chicken liberally with salt and pepper.  (You won’t over salt it, I promise.)  Place herbs, garlic and lemon into the cavity of the chicken.

Put chopped veggies and onions in roasting pan and toss with two tablespoons of olive oil.  Spread veggies around pan and place chicken in middle of the pan.  (It’s important that you put the chicken breast side facing up so that the skin of the chicken will crisp nicely.)

Cook for 80-90 minutes, or until the juices run clear.  Once or twice during cooking, toss the vegetables in the roasting pan.  Remove from oven and separate veggies and chicken, covering both with aluminum foil.  Let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes before carving with meat.

Serve with a beautiful salad and you have yourself a gourmet (and gluten-free) meal. Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking!

I’m excited to announce my latest article just came out in Atlanta’s Finest Dining Magazine. Not only am I happy that I’ve gotten published again (woohoo!), but I’m also thrilled that a mainstream magazine is committed to giving attention to the gluten-free community.

Please check out my article, “Enjoying the Seasonal Bounty.”  Isn’t “bounty” such a great word.  I have to give my friend Mary Stuart credit for the use of bounty associated with local food.  We get to share in the bounty of what our local farmers harvest, even in these swelteringly hot summer months.

Thank you, Farmers (Paige, Justin, Joe, Judith, Nicholas, Gretchen, John, Ashley, Stephanie, and many others), for working your tails off so we can eat your delicious food.

“Meals from a Gluten-Free Kitchen: Enjoying the Seasonal Bounty”

I love writing.  Each day I try to write something, not just emails or incessant lists, but something with more substance.  It’s never brilliant or earth shattering, but each day I return to my computer, ready to write something new, not always sure in which direction I’m going.  Even when I fear I have nothing to say, I hold myself accountable to write.

Occasionally I think to myself, “What am I doing?”  Why am I writing each day?  The answer is, I’m not totally sure what or why.  I will never pay the bills by doing this, but in my writing, I’ve discovered that I love creating, exploring and putting thoughts into words.  Two years ago, I would never have told you I love to write or even imagine that I would have a blog that receives a significant amount of my time.  This blog and my discovery of writing have been unexpected blessings of my celiac diagnosis.  Who knew that a disease would result in good things?  It does and it has.

I’m particularly excited about my writing today because this week, my first magazine article is “hot off the presses.”  (Yes, I can be a cheesy writer too.)  My article, “Atlanta Restaurants Offer Many Options for Gluten-Free Diners” can now be found around town in Atlanta’s Finest Dining Magazine and for those of you non-Atlantans, you can check it out at this link.

I’m thrilled.  It makes me smile to see it.  It makes me want to write more.

“E.L. Doctorow once said that ‘Writing is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.’ You don’t have to see where you’re going, you don’t have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you. This is right up there with the best advice on writing, or life, I have ever heard.”

- from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing & Life