a cruise through the galley

Aboard Royal Caribbean International's Navigator of the Seas, this week I'm cruising the Caribbean with nearly 4,000 of my closest friends. And that's just the passengers. Total occupancy of the ship is just north of 5,000 when you include staff and crew.  I wanted to pull back the curtain on how they manage to feed so many people for so many days in the middle of the ocean. And we're talking lavish meals spanning multiple cuisines several times a day. 

Executive Chef Martin Scott guided us on a private tour to show us how the magic happens. 135 cooks serve up 19-20,000 meals per day in the ship's various dining rooms with flawless execution. 

             

Exec. Chef Scott

The bakery is staffed 24 hrs per day

As a passenger with a gluten-allergy, eating and snacking in accordance with my restricted diet has been smooth sailing. Not just the cooks, but the wait staff have been trained and are well-versed in catering to guests with food allergies.

                      

 

Believe it or not, I'm doing much more than just eating my way through the Caribbean (including getting to second base with a stingray).  Follow along on Twitter & Instagram!

cherry cobblepie

It's cherry season.  Meaning, there's nothing you can do except bake some up in a cobblepie and serve it with ice cream.  Your hands are tied.

 It's just like I did before with the blackberry version, except new and a tad different... and with CHERRIES.  An upgrade in my humble opinion. 

I walked into WholeFoods to find that we're smack-dab in the middle of Cherry Fest! Who wouldn't want to join in that celebration? 

For my Austin-area friend-folk who share my love of cherries, here are the details in case you'd like to partake in the festivities:

Cherry samples, cooking demonstrations, and recipes are yours for the picking from noon to five each day during Whole Foods Market’s 5th annual Cherry Fest! 

On Saturday, July 12, each store will host a "Pit Stop" from noon to 3pm. After guests purchase their cherries, they can bring them to the Pit Stop for cherry pitting and tips on freezing and preserving summer’s sweet cherries. Learn how to pick the perfect variety for your sweet or savory cherry dish, and what to look for when purchasing cherries for a quick snack or week-day meal! 

cherry cobblepie

gluten-free

For filling
3 cups fresh cherries, pitted
1/2 cup gluten-free baking mix (I used Pamela's)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (I used almond)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs, room temperature

For streusel
1/3 cup gluten-free baking mix (I used Pamela's)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Coat a pie dish with canola oil; Set aside.
2. In medium bowl, stir baking mix, milk, sugar, salt, butter and eggs until well blended. Spread cherries evenly in the bottom of the pie dish and pour mixture over the top.
3. In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over filling.
4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Serve with vanilla ice cream and garnish with mint. Store in refrigerator.

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Catch me on the Instagram machine, y'all! 

whole foods market gift card giveaway!

My gluten-free kitchen heavily relies on Whole Foods Market and I can't think of a better way to share with you this Christmas season than to give away a gift card to share the love of great food.  Why? Because I adore you.  I'm serious, I seriously do.  Seriously. 

You'll of course have a lot of holiday grocery shopping to do with all the upcoming parties and holiday feasts, and Whole Foods has just about everything you'll need...from convenient prepared foods to high quality ingredients and products.  Some of my personal favorite items during the holidays are...

• Whole Foods Market® Gluten-Free Bakehouse® Pumpkin Pie – The busy holiday season sometimes calls for less time with the oven and more time with family, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality or taste when you find the right readymade options. 
• Glutino Sugar Cookie Mix – Quick holiday baking traditions, minus the gluten! In just minutes, you can add a few simple ingredients for freshly baked, soft and chewy gluten-free sugar cookies, ready to be decorated. Oh, and to sweeten the mixing bowl, Glutino’s Sugar Cookie mix is Non-GMO Project Verified.
• Gluten-free party snacks and treats: keep these festive options on hand for unexpected visitors or wrapped up for classroom goodie bags and holiday party favors. 
• Popcorn Indiana Hot Cinnamon Drizzlecorn, made with Fair Trade white fudge – naturally gluten free, this merry red and white treat is a great combo of sweetness and intense cinnamon spice. 
• Earth Balance Popped Snacks, vegan and gluten-free - available in cinnamon and almond flavors and drizzled with dark chocolate.
• Lucy's Gluten Free Cookies come in enough holiday flavors to fill a sleigh, including: Chocolate Merry Mint, Holiday Sugar, Pumpkin Patch and Maple Crunch.

(The contest is now closed.)

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Here are the deets: One lucky commenter will be sent a $25 gift card to Whole Foods Market!   Giveaway is open to all readers domestically...So, bring it on America. You have between now and Sunday night (12/15) at midnight CST to leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite holiday food.

 BONUS!  I’m doing this same giveaway on my Facebook Page.  So if you’re a liker of Forgiving Martha on the old Facebook, then you have a DOUBLE chance of nabbing a gift card.


Get it? Got it? Grrreat!

*photo by luluto 

gluten-free cornbread dressing

I can really get down with some side-dishes, man. THANKSGIVING sides in particular.

And the fresh cranberries.  Good grief, those things are so tart and boisterous.  Everyone needs a little of that in a heaping plate of cornbready-herby dressing.  Or if you're pronouncing it correctly, dressin'.

Pssst... 1 week countdown starts now. 

gluten-free cornbread dressing

gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan

2 pounds cooked gluten-free cornbread (like this one)

6 tablespoons Earth Balance butter, melted
1 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried sage

1 teaspoon rosemary
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup gluten-free vegetable stock

2 eggs, well-beaten

3/4 cup fresh cranberries

1. Cut cornbread into 1-inch cubes, place on a large baking sheet to dry out for several hours or overnight. Place in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add stock, eggs and spices and herbs and mix until well-blended.  Add onions, celery and cranberries and stir in cubed cornbread.  Spread stuffing in an oiled 9x15-inch baking dish. Cover and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until top golden brown.

gluten-free pumpkin pie

Pie crust doesn't come easy for me. Does it really come easy for anyone?  I'd like to shake the hand of the lady that doesn't profusely sweat over her cubed butter and pastry cutter. And then I'd like to kick that hag in the shin for being a know-it-all, or maybe a liar.  Gluten-free pie crust just ups the ante to an impossible degree and until just yesterday, I was convinced that no living, breathing human could create such a thing that would actually be edible... even more, enjoyable.

At least, until NOW. (silent fist pump)

That's right. Yep. Thanks be to 8 lb. 6 oz. baby Jesus, I successfully baked a pumpkin pie.  Without gluten.  And without dairy.  By golly, it's a great pumpkin pie.  BRING IT, THANKSGIVING.

Now pardon me while I faint and fall on the floor.

gluten-free pumpkin pie

gluten-free, dairy-free

For the Crust: 

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten
12 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter, chilled and cubed

For the Filling:

1 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. To make the crust, combine the flours, xanthan gum, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and  until thoroughly mixed. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold Earth Balance butter until the mixture resembles big pea-sized clumps. Create a well in the center of the ingredients and add the egg and water, mixing until the dough comes together to form a soft dough. Press the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour.
2. Roll out the chilled dough between the two sheets of parchment and transfer to the pie plate and place into the freezer while you prepare the filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
4. To make the filling, add the pumpkin, eggs, coconut milk, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until smooth.   Pour mixture into the prepared crust and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 F, then turn down the temperature to 350 F and bake for 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, then place in the refrigerator to chill completely.