Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. It can be found most often in bread and pasta, but may hide in many other foods, like sandwich meats, salad dressings, beer, and more. This makes gluten-free cooking especially tricky! After doing a little digging, I learned two basic rules: 1) careful attention to detail is necessary when cooking for someone with a gluten allergy; and 2) you should never embark on a gluten-free diet without talking to your doctor first. That said, if one of your guests is sensitive to gluten, many recipes and dishes are out there, just read labels carefully and consider how an ingredient may have been processed before it gets to your store.

For these recipes and so much more are on Page 52 of the June City Social at www.citysocial.com! Or, you can pick one up and pour over it leisurely with a hot cup of tea and a warm peanut butter cookie…wait, what was I saying again?

Gluten Free Blueberry Waffles
1 3/4 cups gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons Clabber Girl baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon organic vanilla
1cup wild blueberries 

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk, and pour into a waffle iron in batches. Place on the oven racks on warm to keep them warm and slightly crispy until ready to serve.

Gluten Free, Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup all natural peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix peanut butter, sugar and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Roll dough into balls, 1 teaspoon at a time and place on cookie sheet. Flatten with tines of fork making a cross pattern. Sprinkle with more sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet or transfer to a rack. Store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Yields about 2 dozen cookies.