The introduction to Melissa Gray's All Cakes Considered, starts like this: " So you want to bake a cake, HUH?", and then proceeds to take you step by step through everything you need to know. I was a pretty decent baker before I read this book (well, except for cheating on pie crusts), and became a much better baker after I'd tried a few of the recipes.

Some of her advice is just common sense (always read your recipe before you begin)...well, actually it's all common sense: position the rack in the middle of the oven; use a tube pan when you bake a pound cake because the tube in the middle gets the heat to the center of the cake, and my favorite, use three bowls when separating eggs, one for the yolks, one to collect each egg white individually, and a third bowl to transfer the egg whites to. That way, if you get a little yolk in one egg white, it won't ruin the whole batch. Actually, even if I'm not separating eggs, I break each egg into a small bowl first and add individually rather than cracking the egg on the side of the batter bowl and adding it right to the batter...because once I cracked open a rotten egg and had to throw the whole mess away.

Now, about flour: Obviously, if you are eating Paleo, you can't use flour made from wheat. You also can't use gluten-free flour because it is made from grains. So, I use nut flours. The more common ones, like almond flour and coconut flour are easily available in brands like Bob's Red Mill and Trader Joe's. Arrowroot powder, which I use in bread and cake, and also to thicken gravy, is also readily available. For other flours like hazelnut, cashew or chestnut, I rely on Nuts.com, a great company that gets your order out right away and also has a wide assortment of raw, organic nuts that are much less expensive than those sold at your local health food store.

         I love Thanksgiving and all the food associated with the holiday , but when I first switched to Paleo eating three years ago, I was anxious about what I could and couldn't eat at the feast and how much of a burden this would place on  my (non-Paleo family). No need to worry! With a few tweaks, Thanksgiving is actually a perfect Paleo holiday:

Turkey? Check.

Gravy? Substitute arrowroot for cornstarch or flour as a thickener.

Stuffing? Use Paleo Sandwich Bread (see What's for Breakfast Part 2, September 2015 post) or Paleo Rye Bread (see
Thanksgiving Leftover post, November 18, 2015) and your guests will never know the difference.

Cranberry sauce? Swap out honey, maple syrup or coconut/palm sugar for sugar.

Sweet potatoes? Check, just leave off the marshmallows.

Brussels sprouts? Check, especially if you roast them with bacon, yum!

Mashed potatoes? You can skip 'em, especially with all the other food on the table.

Apple pie? Check out the apple pie recipe on the October, 2015 How Do You Like Them Apples blog post.

Pumpkin pie? For filling, follow the recipe on the back of the canned pumpkin (I use Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin) but substitute 1 can of organic coconut milk ((I use Native Forest brand) sweetened to taste with maple syrup for the sweetened condensed milk. For the crust, go to any Paleo website (www.elanaspantry.com is one of my favorites) and find one that's fairly easy.

​Pecan or walnut pie? Last year I just made a regular pecan pie from the back of the Karo Syrup bottle with a store-bought crust and didn't eat it, but this year I may follow my own advice and search out some blogs for a Paleo version. 

​Whipped cream? Just put a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge for a few hours, scoop the cream from the top, and use a hand mixer to whip it. Mix in a little maple syrup to sweeten and serve over any Paleo pie.


   So, what if you are spending Thanksgiving at someone else's house? Every year, we travel to Plymouth, MA  to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. I'm responsible for the pies, so no problem with dessert. Everyone will eat Paleo and no doubt love it (and since my son-in-law, Nick, is now following a Paleo diet, he will be the biggest fan). Last week, I sliced up half a loaf of Paleo Rye Bread and froze it and I will use it to make a small amount of stuffing for Nick and me, and I will bring a little arrowroot and make a small amount of Paleo gravy with it. And if the cranberry sauce is sweetened with sugar, it won't kill me if I eat a little...


   In the end, what's  most important about Thanksgiving is sharing the meal with people you love. I will adhere to my Paleo way of eating as much as possible and give thanks for family, friends and good health. And the day after, I will be strictly Paleo (see Thanksgiving Leftovers post, November 18, 2015).


   A happy and healthy Thanksgiving to you all!

I love to cook and bake, so most times I don't mind--and usually enjoy the challenge of--making my own Paleo versions of "regular" foods. And Paleo is catching on (and in some places, like California, it's almost mainstream), so it's pretty easy to find Paleo recipes for virtually anything (even chocolate croissants --pain au chocolat-- which, someday, I'm going to tackle, and you will be the first to know.

But, sometimes, you just want to open a package and eat. Case in point: Crackers. I've baked my own, and they were delicious, but, seriously, when you just want to spread a little Paleo cream cheese (see "Got (Coconut) Milk?" post ) on a cracker, you don't want to have to bake the crackers first. And, if you're making them in the dehydrator (as I have done, and they are super), you'd have to wait about two days for that snack. So, I was thrilled to find Livin' Spoonful's Caraway Crisps at my local food co-op recently. They're raw, vegan, gluten-free and Paleo-friendly and they are delicious!

Ingredients are sprouted sunflower seeds, celery, flax seeds, dates, sea salt, caraway seeds and coriander seeds. They also come in other flavors like sourdough, garden herb, pesto, pizza and curry, and they make cookies too (the ginger snaps rock!). For more information, go to www.livinspoonful.com. Since cookies and crackers are not an everyday part of a Paleo regime, but an occasional treat, these readymade goodies still qualify as healthy, as long as you don't make a steady diet of them.