Like many books, this one had its roots in a simple observation of how America lives: I noticed that many people, like me, live in small households and the typical recipe with 4 to 6 servings was simply too large for practical everyday living.
While there were many resources for small families in general, little was available for those of us with gluten-free lifestyles. So, I decided to fill that void—using my own empty-nester, two-person household (hubby and me) as the experimental kitchen to develop perfectly proportioned recipes for two.
First and foremost, thanks to my wonderful editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Cindy Kitchel and her assistant Melissa Fisch, for recognizing the need for this book and for their valuable insights. I SO appreciate you both! Photographer Tom Hirschfeld captured the beauty of these foods to entice you. I also want to thank the staff at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, especially art director Melissa Lotfy, designer Alison Wilkes, copy editor Deri Reed, and production editor Helen Seachrist.
And special thanks to my marvelous agent of nearly two decades, Lisa Ekus, for her support, encouragement, and friendship all these years. Lisa saw the need for this book long ago, so thanks for standing by me all these years.
I have a fantastic group of recipe testers across the country who gave me extremely valuable feedback. They come from all walks of life, geographical locations, culinary backgrounds, and tastes, but they have one thing in common: They either live in or cook for a small household—usually two people. They baked, roasted, braised, microwaved, and fried in their own kitchens, and then told me how the food looked and how it tasted—often with input from their (thankfully) cooperative spouses, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. They are Janet L. Armil, Rose Baluha, Anne Barfield, Susan Cox-Gilbertson, Carol Graham, Mary Guerriero (who was diagnosed in 1991 and is also intolerant to tapioca, amaranth, quinoa, and hemp), Cheryl Hutchinson, Kelli McCaffrey, Nancy Merrill, Janet Y. Rinehart of the Houston Celiac Support Group, Charlene Travelstead, and Cecile Hankey Weed. I truly appreciate all of you; this cookbook could not have been written without your help.
Now that you know why I wrote this book and recognize all the many people who made it possible, I hope you enjoy these recipes.