i’m liz, and i love cookies. i love muffins and cakes and fruits and veggies and salads and bacon and full fat, real butter, but i love cookies the most. i am married, with 3 cats, mr. taubsypuss, tigerclaw, and sparky. i was a spoiled city dweller in pittsburgh for over 2 years, but just moved back to my rural roots. -midwest, represent. i am working in the best dental office in ohio as a dental assistant. i love it. it is truly the most challenged i have been, intellectually speaking.
i am a weekend warrior. i stay up late and wake up early on weekends to get baking done, go for 2 hour long walks, and do all of the things i’ve missed out on during the week. i am very fussy with my recipes. i only make foods that are *mostly* whole. due to dietary limitations and sensitivities, i do not use grains of any kind. i will not ever touch corn syrup, don’t own wheat, rice, corn, buckwheat, or potato flour, and stay miles away from shortening. i use almond flour and coconut flour as substitutes, which gives me even more of a fun challenge. as much as i love cookies, i try to keep my projects healthy, so that i can eat them too. i believe in eating foods of quality. -this means fair trade dry-goods, like chocolate, when possible. it means ethically raised, pastured meats and eggs. -and local, seasonal produce as much as possible.
i set up shop in my new home saturdays and sundays and get a huge amount of baking done. i usually end up giving most of the finished goods away to friends, which makes me really happy. i love to bake, i find it therapeutic, and i use it as a creative outlet. baking is really a challenge for me. it’s all a big chemistry experiment. every weekend, i become one step closer to wrapping my head around it.
i shoot all of my pictures with a nikon d90. i’m not a great photographer, i know that. i’m working on it! (what’s white balance?!)
Eat the cookie! 
Nice blog, thanks for including me.
Hi Liz,
I love this! It is so cool and your pictures are GREAT!!!!! I can’t wait to spend more time reading every word. How long have you been doing this? HEY……..I never got any cookies?!
Hope to hear from you soon…Hi to Brian…..
Love and cookies, Lisa
lisa, thanks for stopping by the blog!
i’ve been baking pretty regularly for less than a few years. i’m actually kind of new at it!
give the kids and scott a big hello from us!
xoxo
Liz, I was blown away by your recipes and pictures! I will follow it from now on, and when possible, use your beautiful recipes and photographs to inspire me… someone only knows I need the inspiration, seeing I am so useless in the cooking department (but LOVE eating whole, healthy deliciously fresh made home made food!). Loved it, keep it UP 🙂
thanks renata! glad you like it!
Hi Liz!
I know it’s been almost forever… but I just wanted to say…I love your ideas 🙂 My husband and daughter are gf (husband has celiac) and it thrills me to find new gf recipes! I am so fortunate that there are so many new gf products, but I must say baking can sometimes be a challenge. Finding the right flours to use is tricky! Can’t wait to try them! I whole-heartedly agree with you on buying good quality local food, I think it makes such a difference. Look forward to trying your recipes 🙂 Keep on cooking! Ally Bair Rauck
hi ally! nice to hear from you! hope you guys are all doing well.
yeah, baking can be a challenge, and many flours are expensive, hard to use, and gross. not only that, but many times they aren’t too healthy, either. but i do my best to keep it simple, so i hope you check in often to see what’s cookin here! if you need any help with flours, specialty ingredients, etc, please feel free to email!
best,
liz
Send oatmeal raison cookies for dad! ( & maybe me too 🙂
..nice job on the turkey tenderloin!..it looks tasty!
Liz – I will bookmark you so I can follow your recipes. And btw when I saw this photo I had to laugh [out loud no less]! It reminded me of when Grandma and I were canning and I had my hair tied up the same way and you wanted to know why I was dressed like the maid……you were about 5 so I let it slide.
Hi Brian
thanks ann!
though i don’t remember that, it does sound like something i would say! haha!
I think you look like Lucille Ball in your pic
Hey Liz – fellow Pittsburgh blogger here. Could you send me your email address? I’m sending something out to all the Pittsburgh food bloggers. Thanks!
– Betsy
Hey Liz!!!! Your mom told me about this on facebook, I love it. Your food looks amazing. Call me next time you head this way. Hope all is well!!
Heidi
HEyYY! missss&&looveee youu lizzzz. 🙂
when i come out for springbreakk you’ll have to teach me somethings to bake. 😀 lovve ya.
caiitttlyyynn 🙂
Hi, I was looking at your blog for grain free recipes and love it so far. I see that you are a dental assistant and I have been seriously considering that career. I’m young and don’t know what my passion and talents really are. I do love to cook, bake, and develop recipes, but don’t want to have a job in the food biz because of the long hours and little pay. So that is why I decided to do something in the medical field. Somethings I’m hung up on are that I don’t have a good memory and have never been good at academics and think that I wouldn’t be able to do the job because of this. What I like about the job is that the training is short, jobs in demand, good pay, and I’m helping people. I’m not so sure I would like working in peoples mouths. Its a big decision, deciding what to do with ones life. I get nervous just saying that. I would love to hear what you have to say! I have had jobs in food before and was one of the best at my job, but that is because I was one of the few that actually cared.
i’m glad you like my blog, thank you for saying so!
i really like my job as a dental assistant, and would be happy to answer any questions you have about it. i will email you so you have my email address.
Hoi, nice one! Please connect an http://www.tasteandshare.com and share your blog.
Hi there,
I found your blog recently and have been loving it and am looking forward to trying some of your yummy recipes. This may seem like a silly question but I can’t help but wonder how you stay so slim with all of your baking and delicious food!?
hi christy!
thanks for the kind words on the blog. i enjoy writing about the recipes as much as i love eating them. most of my recipes for treats are just that: treats! when i make them, maybe once every week or 2, i try and indulge within reason. i’ll enjoy a few cookies out of the batch, then make brian take the rest to work or give them to friends. i try and have these “sensible vices” without guilt, knowing that:
A. i am using mostly high protein, whole ingredients, that are reasonably nutritious.
B. i stay fairly active (lots of walks) and deserve a sweet treat every once in a while, and should feel good about doing so within reason.
again, i try and stop after one treat a day if i bake. this is a difficult thing for anyone!
aside from self discipline, walking everywhere i go and sprints and weights a few times a week keep me pretty fit.
thanks again for such nice compliments! i hope you try a few of these treats, and enjoy them!
I may have overlooked it, but is there an RSS feed for your posts? Everything looks fantastic.
Hey Liz – Saw you in the Sentinel. Now you are famous! 🙂 Your blog looks great. I’m with you on the cookie obsession. Unlike you, I’m awful in the kitchen but I promise to try a recipe or two of yours soon – never hurts to experiment! Hope to run into you around Grounds again soon.
hi tracy! thanks for stopping by. please try a few recipes and let me know how they turn out. practice makes perfect!
i’m sure we’ll bump into each other soon!
Hi Liz,
Well I finally took the time to look around the site and read the above part about you. I sometimes find myself scavenging for primal recipes and don’t take the time to really see where they are coming from. I wanted to tell you that your site is excellent. The recipes you have come up with are impressive and tasty for what I have been able to try. I really hope you keep this going.
Since everyones taste is different I have tweeked some of the recipes for desired effect. I mentioned on your pizza post that I was going to change it up and see what I came up with. Well my results were a nice brown, firm crust that tasted great. It’s your recipe with 1 extra egg, 1/4 cup coconut flour, 1/4 cup flax meal, 1/2 cup coconut milk. I added the garlic powder, no crushed garlic(didn’t have any), oregano, basil, and left out the salt (my friend has a heart condition). Here are some pics of what I ended up with: http://www.benkreps.com/l/My_Albums/Pages/Adventures_in_Pizza.html
So thank you for that. Primal pizza makes life so much better.
On a separate note, if you ever want to know what white balance, or anything else photo related just shoot me an email. I used to be a district SLR trainer for Best Buy. Personally I think you’re doing pretty well with the pics. Til next time.
Ben
ben-
i’m just as guilty with digging around blogs for recipes, totally ignoring that there is actually a person coming up with them, and a story to go along with it! but thanks for taking the time to read and try a recipe out!
your pizza looks beautiful! i had another reader send me a few pics, and i’d like to put yours and his up, i can see you enjoyed the sturdy crust. i was also super psyched at the “liftability” of this thing. i even made my husband take pictures to prove that it holds up well, even under ridiculous amounts of bacon and cheese and veggies. i thought it would be a soggy, wet mess like i end up with when i use almond flour for pizza crust. never again. thanks for posting your substitutions, too.
thanks for offering to help! i’ll probably email you to employ your mad photo skills! thanks for the compliments, but i feel like my pictures could always use some improving!
hope you stop by again!
This site it incredible, thank you. My husband and I (though, I have my set-backs) have started the Primal Blueprint. I am amazed at how much of the food I have loved is grain-errific. I cannot wait to start trying out these beautiful recipes. I appreciate your attention to taste and detail. If you run across and grain-free granola – it may just be the end of me.
Again, thanks for the chance to start my own obsession!!
hi jenni! thanks for saying such nice things! i do work really hard, and i’m always happy to know it’s helpful to people! i’m with you on the grain-free granola, i miss oats a lot. stay tuned for lots of tasty recipes though.
thanks for stopping in!
Hi Liz, I found your blog because one of my posts linked to yours and oh my goodness I am now drooling at your recipes.
I made coconut pancakes and commented on the “eggyness” and while reading your post about coconut flour you mentioned it too. I wasn’t to concerned with it but I know some people would so it was great to read your view and what to do.
Thank you for a fantastic blog and I will definitely continuing reading!
Britt
xxx
I’ve visited your blog a couple of times now. Your food always looks well presented and delicious. I want to come over for dinner!
thanks meagan! we’ll be eating in just an hour or so. hope you’re on your way! it’s chili night!
!
Hi! I just thought I let you know that I gave you shout out on my own tiny blog today. I love your banana muffins and wanted to share the recipe with my friends and readers!
Thanks-
Kristen
Pingback: Gluten Free, Grain Free Multigrain Crackers Recipe | Elana's Pantry
Thank you! Thank you for writing a blog that is about the foods that we are eating, with pretty photos, clear directions and great writing. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have stumbled upon your blog. My fiance and I have been following the GAPS diet http://www.gapsdiet.com/ for three months and we are eating almost exactly as you are. Coconut and almond flour are my friends. Sugar, soy, grains and casine are not my friends.
As a typical die hard San Francisco foodie, there has been a learning curve connected to this new way of approaching cooking and food. I have had the hardest time finding any blogs or cook books that actually seem hip and inspiring. Now, I’ve found Eat the Cookie! My first recipe was the pizza and it was delicious. Tonight, I asked my darling what he wanted for dinner, and he said, ” why don’t you find a new recipe off of that cookie blog”. So, voila! Coconut chicken it is.
I have a great almond flour pancake recipe I will send you.
Happy Cooking,
natalie
Hi Liz,
I love your site and recipes! My family and I are also grain free and as we prepare to move into our first house we are looking for way to cut back on our grocery bills without giving up the nutritious foods. I think you have mentioned that you too stick to a tight budget and I would be so grateful if you would share some tips! What’s a typical week’s grocery list? Also, I would love to see what a typical week’s menu look’s like for you?
Thanks!
christine-
i have been flipping through my grocery book for the past few days, working on a full post about this for you! this is not the first time i’ve had this request, and i’m actually excited to share my daily & weekly menu, and my grainiac husband’s menu, along with some tips for making it through the week.
thanks for the comments & questions!
best,
liz
Hi, Liz,
A friend recommended I check out your site, and I adore it! The baking tips are so helpful for those who have issues with gluten. Thanks so much for all of your hard work and advice.
I’m the Food and Wine Editor for Connotation Press. http://connotationpress.com/from-plate-to-palate
Each month I choose a theme and solicit essays and/or recipes from people interested in food, which is why I’m emailing you. 🙂
For the May 2011 issue, I’d really like to showcase food blogging. Why is it that people feel compelled to blog about food? Why is blogging the chosen medium? Why do food bloggers chose a particular focus or food? Does food blogging create stronger community bonds or closer relationships with food?
As a food blogger, I’m hoping you would be willing to contribute a 250-1000 word essay about your food blog, why you do what you do, why food is your passion and why a blog is the best place to share that passion. Of course, I’m open to other ideas, as I know each blogger is different and sees blogging differently.
The deadline is April 10, 2011.
With your submission, I ask that you include the following:
1.) the essay/poem/story–if you choose to include one.
2.) a recipe–if you choose to include one
3.) pictures of the recipe–if you include a recipe
4.) a brief bio about you that includes other publications, blogs you have, and/or other food-related qualifications (Don’t include if you have previously submitted.)
6.) a picture of yourself (Don’t include if you have previously submitted.)
I hope you will consider this opportunity to submit to Connotation Press, an online magazine dedicated to the arts. Many contributors add their publication in Connotation Press to their CVs. Also, it’s an opportunity to promote your projects, websites, and blogs in a new arena.
If you are interested, please let me know as soon as possible. The deadline for submissions is April 10, 2011.
Thank you, in advance, for considering this publishing opportunity.
Best,
Amanda
amanda-
thank you so much for the offer to participate!
i would love to submit something to you.
peace,
liz
My email is amandamcguire@connotationpress.com
I look forward to reading and publishing your submission!
Please remember the deadline is April 10th.
Take care.
Hi Liz,
It was nice to meet you on Thursday; I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.
Your blog is fantastic and it really captures your personality! I’m definitely going to try some recipes. The B & B I mentioned is Augusta Rose. They can be found at either augustarose.com or glutenfreebandb.com. Mary is a wonderful innkeeper and cook.
My quilting blog is at lyndaquilts.com; I’m a bit of a lazy blogger as posting comes in third to work and quilting. Someday I’ll post more often. No really – I will.
See you soon!
lynda-
great meeting you, too!
thanks for stopping by, i checked your blog out, too, and it seems that you are quite talented! i just loved the purse you had the other day.
thanks for the info on the B&B. i’ll definitely be stopping in to the business to have a chat with them.. and probably some cinnamon rolls!
I just stumbled upon your blog and am loving it! Where in Ohio are you living? I’m from Columbus, but moved out to CA years ago. Go Buckeyes??? 🙂
yay! i’m glad you like it!
i live in grand rapids, just south west of toledo. -kinda in the country!
i lived in San Fran for a couple months, i adore california.
go bucks!
Nice blog Liz. How can I subscribe to your blog., I love to bake low carb
hi joan! thank you for the nice comment!
to subscribe, just click on the blue box in the right sidebar under the “tag cloud”.
let me know if that works for you!
Pingback: gluten free, grain-free chicken nuggets, almond butter squares, Eat the cookie, adopt a gluten-free blogger | SDC
I love your blog! I’m a newbie to your site, so I’ve been perusing all your recipes and photos. I love the orange yolks in your eggs! I’ve only seen them like that when I went overseas–not even from my farmer’s market! I’m going to try your yellow squash and kale ribbons, but since I’m lactose intolerant, I think I’m going to use the walnut oil from my farmer’s market! YUM! Oh, and don’t stop baking!!
sandra-
thank you so much for saying so! brian and i are very proud of the eggs our chickens produce. we believe they are so rich and orange because they eat such a happy diet of whatever bugs and worms happen to cross their paths in the yard. i hope you continue to follow what i’m doing here. lots of baking, don’t worry!
thanks again for such positive feedback. it always feels good to get a perk-up from readers like yourself!
best,
liz
Hey Liz, I just found your blog and I adore. I am trying to get back on The Primal Blueprint wagon because I feel so much better. I noticed you eat peanuts and beans. Do you do ok with that. For some reason, I feel like you have to do all or nothing.
yes, i do great with legumes. i have never had any issues with them, and as long as i am eating them with plenty of fat and protein, i have no carb issues or stomach issues from them. i don’t eat crappy sources, like national brand peanut butter or beans from a can, i try to stick with the cleaner versions of those. they are nowhere near the main source of protein in my diet, i eat in insane amount of meat for this!
i am nowhere near all or nothing, the primal blueprint is a great guide for me. i am 80/20, for sure. i also indulge in cheese and chocolate, and occasionally i eat white rice with my thai!
thanks for the question!
I love your website! Do you have a recipe for grain-free sandwich bread? I like Elana’s Paleo Bread (http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-bread/), but your pumpkin bread blew hers right out of the water, so I thought if you had a regular bread, I’d like to try it too 🙂
you’re too sweet nesa! i LOVE that pumpkin bread recipe, the banana bread recipe on my blog is super great, too, i hope you try it. it makes a great full sized loaf (just increase the cooking time), muffins, and mini loafs.
unfortunately, i do not have a sandwich bread recipe. i have made many attempts in the past, but gave up years ago. sandwich bread seems to be my achilles heel. i have even tried elanas recipe for sandwich bread, though i have not tried the paleo version. i just can’t seem to get it right, so i let it go and accepted it as one of things that i’ll never eat again! how sad is that?!
thanks for your question and compliment!
best,
liz
Hi LIZ, I haven’t been back to your blog in a while. I can see some improvements. I love it! I love the pink too 😉
thanks, meagan! i hadn’t been to yours in a bit, either! i just spent some good time poking around last night, though. still lookin great!
best,
liz
sooo awesome! thanks so much for sharing, my hubby and kids are going paleo with me and it will be so neat to have baked treats for them!!!
hooray! you’re very welcome. you’re going paleo at a great time. lots of paleo love out there. the internet is an endless resource for you. i would say good luck with your new lifestyle, but i think you’ll love it enough that you won’t be needing luck!
best,
liz
Hi!
Gourmet Live would love to feature your photograph from “Spicy Peanut Chicken with Kelp Noodles” in an upcoming blog post. It will be featured within our Weekly Roundup post series. In order to feature your image, I need to send you our 229 form granting us permission to disclose the photo on our blog, live.gourmet.com . If you wish
to have us publish your image, please email me ASAP (the posted is scheduled to publish this Friday 3/9) so that I can send you a copy of the form via email, where you will then send us back a scanned copy of the signed and completed form.
Thanks!
Sarah Angileri
Gourmet Live
yes, sarah, if it is not too late, i would love to participate!
my email address is:
liz.eckel@gmail.com
thank you!
Hi Liz, your blog is an inspiration – thanks! Also, your claims of not being a great photographer are totally unfounded, it looks really professional to me.
At the risk of sounding like a total stalker, I love your dress in that pic. Want!
thank you for saying so! i happen to love that dress as well, but wonder if i will be able to fit back into it before i deliver this kiddo in 6 weeks! i wear it every easter, but i think we’ll have to skip a year.
i really enjoy reading your blog, as well, and love to hear feedback from fellow bloggers!
best,
liz
Just found this blog :). Is there a way to pull up recipes in a list form or only go to a category and read old posts? Enjoying my reading !!!!!
julie-
recipes are all within the content of the whole post, a design flaw on my part from the time i started the blog! sorry!
however: you can pull up category, for instance “primal”, and find all posts on primal entries etc, to narrow down your search. for the most part, until very recently, most of my posts contain a recipe!
i’m glad you found my blog, and hope you enjoy the recipes!
best,
liz
Hi, your mom turned me on to you blog (we graduated from the ‘Burg together.). I’ll be back!
nice meeting you, bill!
looking forward to hearing more from you!
Can you subscribe to receive your posts in email? I am horrible about missing things if I subscribe through a reader. I’m doing Whole30 and need all the help I can get!
yes!
go to http://www.eatthecookie.wordpress.com.
look in the right sidebar.
click the pink button with the little lines on it (subscribe icon).
that should do it!
good luck with your challenge!!!! i LOVED it!
hi Liz,
i just found your blog yesterday as I was looking for some whole30 support online. i LOVE it (your blog, that is)! i appreciate your obvious love of good, real food as well as your love for baking and how you seem to have a good sense of balance when it comes to treats 🙂 i have a question for you…where do you buy your meat? bacon? i have recently been on a quest to buy meat without yucky added ingredients from sources that are treated humanely. any ideas you can share? thanks so much!
hi wendy!
not sure where you live, but many times your local grocery store, not including a big box like walmart, meijer, kroger, etc, will carry local meats.
in northwest ohio, we sourced our meat from the local grocery that bought grassfed beef from niman ranch. niman ranch is a national brand that is distributed throughout the country and uses ethical treatment of their free range cows.
you can ask ANY grocery store to start to supply anything you wish. the worst they can say is no.
also, wholefoods carries local meats, cheeses, and produce.
i suggest that you get online and google search CSA in your area.
lastly, you can google search your local chapter of the weston a. price foundation, a group which believes in whole food practices, and can get you any food you desire that you can’t find in a grocery store… raw dairy, cattle sharing, free range eggs, goat meat… you name it! this is a group that will have your back when it comes to food! that is your best bet!
good luck on your journey, you will feel wonderful!
best,
liz
Thank you for your answer, that is helpful! : )
Hi There!
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Amanda Riva and I am the Owner & Co-Founder of The Hot Plate (www.thehotplate.com). I found your blog and could not stop drooling over the photos! The Hot Plate is a free community for the hungriest Food Lovers on the web, and I’d love to have you share your recipes with us!
The Hot Plate has lots of ways for you to promote and share your recipes with thousands of Food Lovers across the world! Now you can:
– Promote your recipes and blog by submitting them to our THP Loved Photo Section (if you use Foodgawker and Tastespotting you know the drill)
– Be part of the webs fastest growing community of hand picked Food Lovers
If you have any questions or comments do not hesitate to let me know!
Happy Cooking,
Amanda
i have to say thank you also, love the recipes, I do the bulk of our cooking, and its always great to see some of the favorites, like marshmallows…..cant wait to make them with the kids this week.
Hello! Your blog is a Favorite of mine. Looking forward to seeing a post again:) So talented!
Blessings from Canada.
Sonja