About The Perennial Kitchen

Hi, I’m Erin.

Real food. Real kitchen. Breaking the cycle, one meal at a time.

I grew up on a farm, where fresh food wasn’t a trend. It was just how we ate. I started cooking young (I was in the kitchen helping put Thanksgiving dinner on the table at 12), and I’ve been feeding people ever since. That’s more than 30 years of weeknight dinners, holiday spreads, and answering “what’s for dinner?”

Four years ago, I had to go gluten free. Suddenly I was cooking for a family of five — my husband and our three sons, ages 16 to 23, all with serious appetites — and I was the only one who couldn’t eat the bread. I wasn’t going to make two dinners every night. So I figured out how to make one.

One meal, two ways

That’s what you’ll find here: one family dinner, made mostly at once, with a simple gluten-free option built right in. Take spaghetti night. The sauce is gluten free for everyone, the pasta gets cooked two ways, the salad gets a homemade gluten-free dressing, and the garlic bread is for whoever wants it. Nobody feels left out, and the cook doesn’t do double duty.

Real food that fills people up

I’m also a regular at the gym. Strength training is a big part of how I take care of myself through perimenopause, so my cooking leans toward higher-protein, whole-food meals. When you’re feeding grown and nearly grown boys, that isn’t optional anyway. Three pounds of meat for one dinner is a normal night at my house, and the leftovers rarely survive past lunch.

What you’ll find here

• Family dinners with a gluten-free version built in
• Higher-protein, whole-food recipes that actually fill people up
• Real-life tips: make-ahead steps, leftovers for lunch, shortcuts and swaps
• Honest notes on hidden gluten and keeping the gluten-free plate safe from cross-contact

I’m not a chef or a dietitian. I’m a home cook who has been at this a long time and learned a lot the hard way. If you’re cooking for a mixed table, or you’re just learning to cook real food, pull up a chair.

The recipes and information on this site are based on my personal experience and are not medical or nutritional advice. If you have celiac disease or another medical condition, please follow the guidance of your healthcare provider.