Summer Light, It Is a Fadin'...

As the last days of summer quietly slip away like sand through toes on a beach, I have stopped to notice the change in the light and temperature that has subtlety come upon us - oh summer, why do you leave us so soon?

Even the air is changing from the "smell of summer" to the transition of crisp, fresh morning breezes and cool evenings that still carry that hint of warmth left behind from the sun's rays that heated the earth during the daylight. Fall is my favorite time of year, though I'm never in a rush for it to arrive, as I've learned to live each day to the fullest and in the moment, never looking too far ahead any longer to what "might be"...

With the thoughts of hunkering down and lighting candles during upcoming fall evenings, as darkness befalls my little home at a much earlier time now, I'm very anxious to read more and more and COOK more and more...and, to purchase Shauna Ahern and her hubby's (The Chef)new cook book that just came out titled, "Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef." Shauna, aka...Gluten Free-Girl is a great writer. I love her blog and really enjoyed her first book. At times, I felt as though I was reading my own life-story and struggles with Celiac Disease before my diagnosis. I've been lucky enough to "friend" her on Facebook and we've chatted a few times. She really seems like a quality person doing a lot for the advancement of Celiac Disease, while making many tummies very happy along the way.

Enjoy the last few hours of summertime and be sure to look UP! The change of light is too beautiful to miss.

Blessings ~

Gluten-free News and International Pasta Talk ~

I was perusing "Gluten-Free Girl's" blog today and was as usual, captivated by her writing style and knowledge of food, and after reading each of her posts I'm always left with hunger pangs and feelings of inspiration to cook and try new recipes.

In her (Shauna Ahern's) latest post, she links to a couple of terrific NPR Morning Edition stories, one of which she was interviewed for by heath reporter, Alison Aubrey. Have a listen - it's a very interesting story. And another story that ran earlier this week on NPR regarding Celiac Disease - How did we become so cool?

In my quest to stay informed on all-things-gluten-free, I signed up a while back for Google Alerts that pull an amazing amount of GF stories and articles each day, delivering them to my in-box. I strongly recommend you doing the same - you'll be amazed how tough it is to stay current with all the news that swirling around the gluten-free world...a world that's expanding by the day. This fact triggered a memory for me the other day and made me question (gratefully, of course) why it's taken the United States so long to catch up with the rest of the globe, when it comes to news and the labeling of gluten-free products.

My memories specifically reminded of the two trips I took to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil some six years ago - as I roamed through the markets of Ipanema I recall coming across many products that were specifically labeled for non-gluten eaters and remember standing in the aisle of this downtown grocery store in total awe of what I was reading and holding in my hand. Man, I wish that I had taken some photos! There were broths labeled as safe, and an interesting type of pasta that was really good, along with some various other crackers and products that most-likely didn't taste that great, but honestly six years ago to find a product safely labeled and shelved in Brazil, was a miracle to me and my taste buds were simply thrilled to be eating safe food.

The photo of today's pasta lunch leftovers (above) is a maiz/corn pasta that I bought in Italy a while back and have saved and savored, as it's now in short supply in my pantry. It's a lovely little shell-ish shaped pasta that holds its form and flavor quite well and has a really good taste.

For this quick, healthy meal I simply boiled some sliced zucchini with the pasta, added a bit of olive oil, sea salt, fresh tomatoes, a little bit of turkey, mozzarella, an egg on top and voila - Mangia time!

It's so easy to create such as simple, yet healthy, flavorful meal with fresh foods and in under 30 minutes - I really hope that our American culture will one day embrace this concept and that more and more children can eat real food.

How do you like to cook your GF pasta?

I would love to hear some suggestions and new recipes and where you have found your favorite GF pastas.

Cheers and Obrigada!