Meet the Neighbors with Cricket Plunkett

Welcome to Meet the Neighbors! 🙂  Each week we highlight a different food blogger, and then we “oooh” and “aaaah” at all the beautiful photos and gorgeous recipes.  I just love it!  This week I am very pleased to introduce you to the lovely Cricket Plunkett.  Cricket blogs over at Cricket’s Confections, a blog which specializes in gluten free cooking.  If you’ve ever tried to do any gluten free cooking or baking, you know that it can be hard to find recipes that sacrifice gluten without sacrificing flavor.  Luckily, Cricket has a beautiful blog dedicated to foods that are full of flavor, but that are also deliciously gluten free.

You can find more of Cricket’s delicious recipes on her blog, here, as well as on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. What are we waiting for?  Let’s meet her! 🙂

What is your name, and where are you located? (Hint: if you live in Hawaii, I am packing my bags as we speak 😉

Hello! My name is Cricket, and I live in Dunedin, Florida. I was born and raised in Rhode Island, but just became a year round Florida resident. I am sure by the end of July I will have melted into a puddle of sweat, but the winters are beautiful.

Tell us a little bit about yourself– what is the name of your blog, and how did you get started?

My blog is www.cricketsconfections.com, and I feature mostly healthy, gluten free recipes. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America with a degree in baking and pastry, I found out that I could no longer eat gluten. I decided to start a blog to share the delicious and healthy gluten free food I eat at home.

What is your favorite food? And what is your least favorite food?

I’m not sure if I could pick just one favorite food; there are so many, and none of them are that healthy. Let me try to name a few– ice cream, chocolate, brownies, peanut butter, caramel, and soft corn tortillas. And yes, I have actually eaten all of those at once. I also make a mean dessert quesadilla! As far as healthy foods I love pears, corn, cantaloupe, basil, steak, and chicken thighs (but not all at once!) A least favorite food . . . that’s a hard one. I think I love just about every food! But maybe I would have to list my least favorite food as greasy junk food in large qualities. I believe food should make you feel good, and I hate feeling gross after a meal!

What advice would you give someone who is just starting to cook?

If you’re just starting to cook, I would say just keep at it, and soon you’ll be a pro! It is so satisfying, not to mention cheaper and healthier, to cook your own food. And don’t get discouraged; remember that everyone has kitchen fails. I don’t always spill all over the floor when cooking, but when I do, it always seems to be either olive oil or honey!  Accidents and messes always happen– just keep cooking!

What keeps you going, every day? Who are your greatest cheerleaders/supporters?

Love for food and cooking definitely keeps me going every day. I love the satisfaction of trying to get the perfect recipe and finally perfecting it. For me, the greatest support comes from the people who follow and support my blog. I love it when readers recreate my recipes and send me pictures; it’s so inspiring to know people are cooking and enjoying my food!

Cricket was kind enough to share her recipe for Gluten Free Easy Beef Lo Mein with us.  Cricket says:

“My beef lo mein is one of my favorite recipes I’ve posted.  Being gluten free means giving up so many foods, and I was so happy to be able to recreate a food I thought I’d never be able to eat again!”

Cricket, it has been a pleasure getting to see you and your delicious recipes!  I know that my friends and family with gluten sensitivities will love these new dishes, and I can’t wait to try out this Gluten Free Beef Lo Mein!  Thanks so much for spending some time with us here on Cookies for England!  We look forward to seeing more great recipes from you in the future. 🙂

---

---

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which just means that we get a few pennies if you purchase through our link. I never recommend products that I don't personally use and love. Thanks!