{ NICE TO MEET YOU! }
I’m Felicia.
A simple girl with Singaporean roots who moved to Argentina for love.
It’s difficult to believe that I’ve been writing a food blog for the past seven years, when just a little while before that, I didn’t even know how to switch on the gas oven in the kitchen.
And it’s even harder to believe that it’s been almost nine years since I packed my belongings, uprooted myself from Singapore, flew across the globe and made Buenos Aires my home.
{ FROM SINGAPORE TO BUENOS AIRES }
Life sure has its ways of surprising me, and I’ve learnt that it’s often best to go with the flow, and embrace the changes as they come.
When I first landed in Buenos Aires, also known as “the Paris of South America”, I lugged with me two 26kg suitcases and carried a heart bursting with hope.
I needed as much hope and optimism as possible, to be honest. I’d just made a life-changing decision to move across the oceans and continents to live in the same country as Juan, whom I’d met while studying in Germany during my exchange (you can read about my big move in this post).
I’d just quit a job in a large international bank, and stepping foot in a country whose language I didn’t speak, and where I had no friends to call my own, was intimidating and challenging by a long shot.
I was armed with a large smile, romantic dreams, and ready for the adventure of my life. And indeed, Buenos Aires delivered all that and more.
{ THE BEGINNINGS OF DISH BY DISH }
As I gained my footing in this beautiful Argentine capital that is now very much home for me, I realized I wanted to connect with others through writing, a passion that captured my heart since I was 10 years old.
The question was – what should I write about?
When I found myself attending a cooking class every Thursday night, my heart beating with enthusiasm as I saw the professor rolling out fresh dough, or stirring a wooden spoon in a pot full of beetroot risotto, I knew the answer had found me.
Dish by Dish was initially a small and personal space to prove to my family and friends back home that I had eventually been “domesticated”; a sort of testament that I was able to pick up any skill I set my heart to. At that point, my one and only faithful reader was my mum, the woman I love the most.
I’ll be honest and tell you that I never expected it to become a food blog with more than just a handful of readers. I also never expected that food blogging would become a passion that gives back so much more than I put in.
But it did. Through this blog, I’ve had plenty of practice in the kitchen (at least two to three times a week), I’ve even learned how to handle a DSLR in manual mode without fear, and most importantly, I’ve made so many wonderful friends in the food blogging world – through fellow bloggers and readers alike.
More than that, I feel like I’m finally making a difference in this world, dish by dish.
{ WHY GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES? }
In early 2015, my husband Juan was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which basically meant that he had to eat exclusively gluten-free from then on. I started dabbling with gluten-free recipes out of necessity. All the breads, cakes, and cookies that Juan used to love before becoming Celiac were now off the table, and both of us had to learn our way into this new gluten-free world and kitchen.
At first, I was worried that gluten-free foods meant we had to sacrifice taste, but now I’ve realized that gluten-free doesn’t have to taste bad. In fact, there is a whole world of gluten-free recipes that look and taste so good no one would have realized that they are gluten-free.
Along with not being able to eat gluten, Juan is also lactose intolerant (as of early 2020), so many of the recipes I now test and publish are also dairy-free.
I’m not a registered dietician nor do I have formal training, but the recipes I share are based on my experience in the kitchen.
{ MY HOPE FOR DISH BY DISH }
My heartfelt desire is that anyone will be able to feel at home at Dish by Dish, either through a healthy recipe that calls out to them, or simply through the stories on the blog, that will hopefully touch their hearts.
At Dish by Dish, where personal stories and simple recipes intertwine, I hope you’ll stay a while, with a steaming cup of tea in one hand and a cookie in the other.
Let’s be friends!
{ SOME SIMPLE NOTES }
If you’d like to know more about food blogging, or starting your own food blog, here are are a couple of posts that you’ll find useful. If you have any doubts, just email me.
- How to Start a Food Blog in 5 Minutes
- Top 30 Tips for Food Bloggers
- Food Photography Tips for Food Bloggers
- Food Blogger Resources
- Kitchen Tools I Recommend
{ MY E-COOKBOOK }
I launched my first e-cookbook in July 2015 – an accomplishment I am very proud of!
The Simple Healthy Breads & Treats e-cookbook was mainly written with my mum as an inspiration, and it’s a dream come true to see the fruits of months’ of effort come to pass. More than anything, I hope this cookbook will inspire you to eat better, live healthier, and learn that food is really our medicine.
I know you’ll love it – so check it out & get a copy, then tell me what you think!
Hi
I came across your recipe for Soda bread
Now followed recipe to the letter
My flour has xanthan gum so I didn’t add any.
It did not bake inside, I find most of my baking gluten free does not bake in the middle
Should it be low heat a long time or high heat a short time and it didn’t rise too much
Used rice milk and lemon juice
Hi Rose, may I know what ingredients your GF flour blend uses? Depending on the flour blend, the results of gluten-free baking often varies. Plus, if you say that most of your GF baking doesn’t bake in the middle, it could either be that you might need to try a different flour blend (King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour blend for example is good) or that you might need to bake for a longer time at a lower temp.
Hi, you have really helped me to continue to make special occasions special (along with everyday) with recipes the family all loves and I can eat. At this time I am searching for a gluten free recipe for Challah. It is one of those foods I truly miss from my pre-gluten-free days.
Hi Wendi! So happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipes on the blog 🙂 To be honest, I haven’t made challah before, but it’s one of the breads that I have on my to-test-and-develop list! Hopefully one day we can have a gluten-free and dairy-free challah on the blog too!
Hello I was wondering for the gluten free almond biscotti can you use half brown and half granulated sugar?
Hi Cate! Yes, go ahead and use half brown and half granulated sugar! 🙂 Hope you enjoy these biscotti as much as we do!
hi sweet girl,
just wanted to advise that i just baked your zucchini bread 2 days ago but i used plain flour as i am not allergic to gluten but i simply love your recipes.
may i ask that if i continue to bake your recipes using just plain flour plain flour , do i need to add xanthum gum as i didnt use them in zucchini bread but it turned out ok.
thank you for the easy and yummy recipes. take care of yourself.
please reply to my email like u did before .
Hi Georgina! So happy to hear that you enjoy the recipes! If you are using regular flour, you don’t need to add xanthan gum (which is a replacement for gluten).
Hi Felicia – Do you have a YouTube channel?
Hi Lauren, nope, I don’t have a Youtube channel 😉