Hi:

Just a brief update.... I'm settling in here in LA, but my 1950's O'Keefe and Merritt oven is broken, so I haven't had a chance to test any new recipes, yet. I promise I will soon, though. I'm very inspired by the Mexican food here. I think I'll be creating some new dishes around the Mexican theme. You can do so much with soft tacos.

My sister-in-law Thanya just sent me a menu from a restuarant in Berkeley, CA. It's called Socca Oven. Soccas are little French pizzas, and the dough is made from chick peas, a great alternative to wheat. Everything at Socca Oven is gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast, and sugar free. Sounds like my kind of place! I'm going to plan a trip to the Bay Area to visit my brother and sister-in-law just so I can go eat at Socca Oven. Their website is www.soccaoven.com if anyone is interested in finding them too.

I tried the Cherrybrook Kitchen Original Pancake Mix this morning. It's diary-free, egg-free, soy-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, and of course free of fish and shellfish. It does have wheat, however. It was pretty good. I added some sliced strawberries. My only complaint was that they really stuck to my non-stick skillet, even though I used canola oil too. But the kids liked them, and they're great for when you're short on time (or still unpacking a house full of boxes, like me!). I'm going to try all their mixes, so I'll keep posting as I do so.

For anyone who missed the Martha Stewart segment I did on April 20th, it's on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmDtk6VjKnI

Hope everyone who reads this is well. I keep hearing it's a really bad allergy season, so for those of you out there with seasonal allergies as well as food allergies, I'm thinking of you, and hope you're not too itchy and sneezy.

all the best,

Cybele