My close friend Brittany Angell—aka Real Sustenance—and I had the pleasure of teaching gluten-free cooking classes at a family farm outside of Pittsburgh called Soergel Orchards last weekend. What a fun, food-filled weekend it was! If you’re ever in the neighborhood, please check it out. Amy, who grew up on her family’s farm, has curated one of the best gluten-free food shops in America!

If you’ve been to any of my cooking classes, you know that I like to feed people plenty of personal stories and experiences—and doughnuts. This time I made classic powdered doughnuts and just spiced things up a bit with a mix of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. You could always add your favorite spices or just go ahead and leave them out completely!

Please come say “hi” over in my online community, Silvana’s Kitchen. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Thank you, as always, for reading and sharing!

There’s just something about the warmth of apples spiced with cinnamon and topped with a crunchy topping that’s satisfying at the end of a long day. Lately, I’ve been playing around with the streusel. Instead of making the classic kind with my flour blend, Silvana’s Kitchen Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour—like I do for Isaiah’s favorite Pumpkin Muffins, a recipe from my first book, Cooking for Isaiah—I decided to switch things up and use cookie crumbs instead.

Here’s the fun part: You can use whatever gluten-free cookies you have on hand for a last-minute end-of-dinner dessert or pick up some of your favorite cookies at the supermarket. In our crisps, I’ve become partial to gluten-free graham crackers, vanilla wafers and snickerdoodles.

Also, feel free to switch out the apples and use your family’s favorite fruit or whatever you pick up in season at your local farmer’s market.

Please come say “hi” over in my online community, Silvana’s Kitchen. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Thank you, as always, for reading and sharing!

For ingredient substitutions, please see the detailed chart at Gluten-Free 101.

Let’s get baking,

As a kid, I remember wondering why she always cooked up the same slurry of meals. Yes, every now and then, she would divert from her recipe rolodex and venture out into the unknown recipe world. But for the most part, she stuck to her tried-and-true plan.

Cooking every night for my own family for nearly two decades has changed my perspective on what’s for dinner. Gone are the grand expectations and here to stay are comforting meals the whole family can enjoy and equally important—that I can assemble quickly or make ahead of the dinner rush. This meatloaf recipe is a variation of my Mom’s recipe—I’ve left out the hard-boiled eggs that my kids just don’t seem to appreciate.

Please come say “hi” over in my online community, Silvana’s Kitchen. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Thank you, as always, for reading and sharing!

For ingredient substitutions, please see the detailed chart at Gluten-Free 101.

Let’s get cooking,

In fact, I know exactly why she holds on tight to this pan: Nana Jennie was the sweetest—and strongest—woman I ever met. It just so happens Nana Jennie also made the meanest fudge cake with fudge frosting. Her cake was no joke—and I doubt the pan had much to do with it.

This recipe is inspired by Nana Jennie. After all, I didn’t have access to the pan, which comfortably lives in Florida (I’m in Brooklyn), but the intention is all hers.

Please come say “hi” over in my online community, Silvana’s Kitchen. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Thank you, as always, for reading and sharing!

For ingredient substitutions, please see the detailed chart at Gluten-Free 101.

Let’s get baking,

I wasn’t always a fan of blended drinks. That all changed when I tasted a smoothie called Peanut Butter Split at a juice bar in Manhattan called Juice Generation. I was blown away by the flavor and creamy texture. That’s what this smoothie is loosely based on. I changed the peanut butter to almond butter, tossed in some hemp seeds and had myself a cooling, rich dairy-free drink. I hope you’ll enjoy it, too!

Please come say “hi” over in my online community, Silvana’s Kitchen. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Thank you, as always, for reading and sharing!

For ingredient substitutions, please see the detailed chart at Gluten-Free 101.

Let’s get blending,

When I make the minestrone, I like to include at least one green—here, I use Swiss chard—and some fresh herbs. It gives the soup a bright flavor and pop of color. The garlic croutons add a nice crunch.

For ingredient substitutions, please see the detailed chart at Gluten-Free 101.

Let’s get cooking,

While takeout may be the norm in New York City, I prefer to cook my family’s meals from scratch. Occasionally, I get help from store-bought meal starters (like a gluten-free pizza crust or rotisserie chicken) or splurge for dinner at a favorite gluten-free friendly restaurant. After all, Moms have enough pressure as it is.

My other solution? I like to keep an arsenal of meals that pretty much cook themselves in my back pocket, like this super-flexible chicken recipe. I like to swap in salmon or extra-firm tofu with different herbs, greens and condiments (think gluten-free soy sauce, barbecue sauce, etc.). You can use whatever ingredients you and your family love to eat—it’s really as easy as that.

For ingredient substitutions, please see the detailed chart at Gluten-Free 101.

Let’s get baking,

The truth: I wanted to believe that I could make anything gluten-free. That didn’t turn out to be the case—at least, not when it came to bread.

For ingredient substitutions, please see the detailed chart at Gluten-Free 101.

Let’s get baking,