Relish is a compendium of things to enjoy greatly and that add a little flavor to your gluten-free life. Sometimes we get a little foolish.

Spring is full of fresh starts and new beginnings. Ok, and the start of patio season. Pedicure season. Beach walking season.

Oh yeah, I said beach walking season.

In a bittersweet turn of events, one of my dearest friends is moving to Indianapolis, and needed to sublet her place. I just happened to be in the market for a city apartment. I’m only in it for the vintage built-ins and the proximity to the beach. I can spend lazy Saturdays gazing at the lake and finding a nice piece of sand for reading and writing.

This was one of those decisions that I didn’t think much about – it just felt right. And it had a fire place. Oh, and a good friend with a love of red wine that might just trump mine. Sure, I’m rushing in. Starting fresh. And moving forward.

Did you miss it?

I hand-lettered an inspirational phrase on a post-it note every day in April. You can check out the project and see all the notes on the Chronic Positivity Project.

Just eat it!

My friends make the most delicious things. I very much want them to adopt me.

I was spoiled last week with a wood-fired gluten-free pizza topped with romanesco sauce and ramps. It might just be my new favorite sauce, and Meg at Beard and Bonnet breaks it down (01) for you. Beth from Tasty-Yummies might just find me outside her house with a bag of groceries so that she can make me this Sweet Potato & Kale Coconut Curry (02). (I’m not that crazy, I’d call first 🙂 ). Before I wrote a food blog, I had no idea that there were people, *cough* Melissa *cough*, who didn’t know how to roast veggies. Cindy at Vegetarian Mamma has a great, easy to follow recipe for one of my favorite vegetables (03). And life isn’t complete without the occasional cocktail. This Grapefruit, Thyme & Lillet cocktail (04) from Willow at Will Cook for Friends is going into my summer drink rotation.

Get yourself a little something

Reading cookbooks helps you become a better cook. You learn different techniques, see flavor combinations you might have never thought of and discover foods that are new to you.

My friends keep writing awesome cookbooks, and two of them came out this month. First up, Tess from The Blender Girl, released her first cookbook of the same name (01). It is filled with so much more than just smoothies and it will teach you all sorts of things you can make with your blender. I reviewed Brassicas by Laura Russell (02) earlier this month, and it was just fabulous. You’ll fall in love with leafy green things on every page.

If you follow the food world, Shauna and Daniel Ahern from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef just won a James Beard Award (basically food-world Oscars) for last year’s Gluten-Free Girl Every Day (03). If you don’t have a copy, go order one now. It is a must-own.And to round out all this healthy stuff, if you don’t own cupcake wars triple threat Kyra Bussanich’s Sweet Cravings (04), go buy a copy, make me the Persian Love Cakes and send them to me for my birthday.

May the Fourth be with you.

As you live long and prosper with the odds ever in your favor. Ok, I’m a bit of a nerd… but May is really going to be awesome. It is Celiac Awareness Month, and Erica at Celiac and the Beast is giving away some pretty fabulous prizes every day. But it is about more than just prizes. Celiac has caused some pretty nasty complications for some of the people I love the most in this world. It is about raising awareness of Celiac and gluten-related disorders. Teaching others so that they don’t have to fall back on the “gluten allergy” explanation when trying to order a meal at a restaurant. It is showing that kids getting bullied on TV for what they can and cannot eat is a bad, bad precedent. Or that the comic from the New York Times that mocked people following a gluten-free lifestyle by calling them “annoying” just isn’t ok. It’s about coming together as a community and showing support.

I told you that I am moving up top to prep you for some news. For the next couple of weeks, this space is going to be filled with the voices of some friends as they help me keep you filled with inspiration for some delicious gluten-free treats. Because three weeks is not nearly enough time to pack up everything and get ready to move.

Here’s to a May full of advocacy and fresh starts!