In the spirit of the very best holiday (obviously Thanksgiving), it seemed only fitting that I should visit Republic of Pie in North Hollywood!

I’ve had warm fuzzies for this place ever since Mike brought me when we first started dating. It’s such a cute little spot in the NoHo arts district – and it’s also perfect for breakfast! I enjoyed this small bowl of yogurt and granola immensely.

As a former marketing major I really appreciate that Republic of Pie rocks their logo all over the cafe, including on this little stage background. They have live music every day, another win!

Real trees, twinkle lights, artwork on the walls, and skylights are just a few of the adorable qualities of this sweet spot. They were also silently playing the 1938 version on Robin Hood and a great mix of indie music.

My only regret is not trying this nutella latte. In my morning daze I ordered my usual vanilla latte without thinking twice!

I took home a piece of pecan pie and pumpkin pie, aka two of my Thanksgiving favorites! Just amazing! I also brought Mike home his favorite, a piece of banana cream pie – it was sadly way too messy to photograph, so you’ll just have to take my word that it was beyond delicious.

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving pie?

Over in the GMS kitchen we recently added the How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen to our collection.  It has proved to be one of the best researched and impressive gluten free cookbooks out there and we are excited to explore the new recipes and good gf information in the opening chapters.  Look for the cross sections of bread using different flour mixes – it is super interesting and helpful.

As you may know, long into the fall there has been quite the heat wave in LA, but by the time late fall rolls around we’re craving rich savory foods even if it is still 90 degrees out! And this mac and cheese is perfect for heat waves because you don’t have to use the oven.

We used the new Barilla GF pasta line, which is a pleasing light pasta.   We don’t always have dry mustard and evaporated milk on hand, but this recipe is good enough that they could become kitchen staples.

The dish is very rich, so it can be used as both a main course or a side depending on what you pair with it.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 ounces gf pasta
2 large eggs
1 (12 ounces) can evaporated milk
½ teaspoon dry mustard, dissolved into 1 teaspoon of water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (shredded, 3 cups)
pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Boil 4 quarts of water for pasta with one tablespoon of salt.  Cook pasta until al dente.

2. While pasta is cooking, whisk eggs, mustard mixture, half of the evaporated milk, and ¼ teaspoon of salt together in a bowl.

3. Drain pasta and return to pot, add butter, and cook over low heat constantly stirring until the butter is melted.  Add egg mixture, half of the cheese, and the pinch of cayenne.

4. Continue to cook over low heat slowing adding and stirring in the remaining milk and cheese until pasta is creamy, approximately 5 minutes.

5. Allow sauce to thicken, approximately 2 to 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

What’s your favorite gf cookbook?

So we’ve established this week that your green bean casserole has been swiped out from under you – someone RSVP’ed first, and you’re without your signature dish. Brussels aren’t really your thing. So what’s a person to do?

Go the broccoli route.

This roasted broccoli is wicked easy to put together and the combo of cheese, bread crumbs, and lemon make it savory and tangy at the same time. And, most of the ingredients involved you probably already have in your pantry, saving you a trip to the store. Nothing fancy here – just some simple ingredients making some crunchy savory broccoli.

Ingredients:

1 lb broccoli
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
s/p

Directions: Basically, just take all the ingredients above and mix well on a cookie sheet (s/p = salt and pepper to taste. Under is better because you can add a little salt later on!). Then, roast at 400 degrees until browned – this should take about 15-20 minutes, but check it because oven temperatures can fluctuate. Serve warm – and if you want, you can spritz a little extra lemon juice over the top upon serving.

Serve at your Thanksgiving to make an instant hit. We think even the kids MIGHT try this one! Next week’s topic? We’re giving dessert a whole new meaning, moving away from pies and on to something bigger and better!

The month of Thanksgiving is here, and many of you already know that it’s our favorite holiday. If your typical Thanksgiving is anything like ours, it’s a group effort. What is better than a potluck style meal? But technology has changed – now invitations come via email, and sometimes those emails go to your junk box. Suddenly you’re RSVPing to your Thanksgiving dinner a few days after everyone else…and someone is already signed up to make your signature dish.

So, what do you do? You don’t want to have four green bean casseroles at your meal, but Thanksgiving isn’t the time to be trying out new recipes and seeing if people like them. Thanksgiving is about the classics done right, about pies so famous that they are lusted after year round. So what do you do?

You make a new classic. And that’s where we come in – we’re here to save you from the woes of being stuck bringing the canned cranberry sauce or – God forbid – the dessert plates.

This month, we’ll be exploring options for what to do if your signature dish has been accounted for already. This week, we’re giving you two options for alternate veggies dishes if you find out that the Green Bean Casserole has been swiped but you still want to bring a green.

First up, this Brussels Sprout Hash with Bacon will give any Green Bean Casserole a run for its money.

Ingredients

1 lb Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped chard, stems only
1 small shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
4-5 slices crispy bacon
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Start by cooking your bacon in a large skillet until it is nice and crispy. Then, set aside but leave the bacon grease in your skillet.
2. Saute your shallot, garlic, and chard in the bacon grease for about 2 minutes until the chard just begins to soften.
3. Add your spices, sliced Brussels sprouts, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup to the skillet and set to a  medium-low heat. Stir occasionally while cooking an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts turn a bright green color and just begin to soften.
4. Toss in the crumbled bacon pieces just before serving.

If Brussels sprouts aren’t your thing, tomorrow we’ll be experimenting with our pal broccoli – something even the kids will eat!

This is a post from Eva, our fave Fangirl who creates awesome food surrounding some of our fave shows. For the full post, head over to Fanboy Comics – but for her Doublemeat Palace Veggie Burger recipe, see below!

We’ve stumbled upon some very powerful information. Everything you know about the Doublemeat Medley from Southern California chain, Doublemeat Palace is about to change:

“The burger isn’t people. In fact, it isn’t even meat. It’s all processed vegetables,” claims UC Sunnydale student and witch, Willow Rosenberg. “Isn’t that weird?” she adds.

So now you too have some very powerful information. Below is the leaked Doublemeat patty recipe in its entirety. How you use it is up to you. Just be sure to keep an eye out for lamprey demons, they’ve got the taste for doublemeat infused flesh.

Ingredients

1 16 ounce can plain black beans
½ bell pepper, chopped
½ onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 teas hot sauce
½ cup gluten free breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain, wash and strain the black beans.
3. In a medium bowl, mash the black beans then set aside.
4. On lightly greased baking sheet, roast the chopped bell peppers, onions and garlic.
5. Remove from oven when they are browned and tender.
6. Mix together mashed beans with roasted veggies. A kitchen-aid works wonders but you can also use a blender if you want a smoother patty.
7. In a separate bowl combine the egg with the spices and hot sauce.
8. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the veggie mixture and combine until it reaches an even consistency.
9. Sprinkle in the breadcrumbs and mix to your desired texture.
10. Form mixture into roughly 4 patties.
11. Grill, bake or sauté to your heart’s content.
12. Enjoy with vampire, lamprey and human friend alike.