That's a Seinfeld reference, in case you didn't catch it -- watch some comedic gold here. I'm pretty much known to quote Seinfeld daily, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of my comedienne heroes, so it probably won't be the first time I rope Seinfeld into a cooking post.

We've hit that time of the year in Florida where afternoon storms roll in every day and you get stuck inside for a few hours. Matthew left for his European tour a few days ago, so on days like these, it just ends up being me and Miyuki (our French Bulldog) holding down the fort. I find this to be perfect weather for baking.

I don't have a gluten allergy, but I'm always interested in working with alternative flours. I grew up on plain bleached white flour, and I don't think I ever knew you could bake with anything else until well into my 20s.

One of my favorite baking cookbooks is La Tartine Gourmande, not only because I really love any variation on tarts and tar tines but because her book has helped me understand varying flours so well. Amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice, coconut, hazelnut -- just some of the interesting flours the book introduces you to.

I'm pretty much head over heels for anything with banana and chocolate. Throw some nuts in there, and I'm sold. And who doesn't love a muffin? A food that is socially acceptable as both a dessert and breakfast is a winner all around. These Banana Chocolate Hazelnut muffins are delicious and definitely different than the muffins I grew up on.

The recipe gave you a choice to use walnuts or hazelnuts, and I went with walnuts because they're pretty much my favorite nut. The recipe also called for three kinds of flour -- hazelnut, quinoa, and buckwheat. I ended up using brown rice flour instead of quinoa flour because I had it in the pantry. They are both medium flours, so I thought the swap would be equivalent. The only thing about these muffins is that they didn't rise as much as I had expected, but perhaps that was the flour swap. Either way, puffy or not, these muffins take the cake! Definitely indulging in them for breakfast tomorrow.

Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Hazelnut Muffins | metalandhoney.com

It's Memorial Day, so I'll begin with a note of memoriam for those who have served in the US military and lost their lives in the line of duty. We thank and salute you for your bravery.

Memorial Day is typically filled with general Americana. Plus, beaches, BBQ, and the day off of work. We decided to stay home and relax since Matthew departs for a European festival tour in just a few days. We always try to jam pack not only quality time, but all of the best home cooking we can squeeze in since it's about to be 4 weeks of catering, lunch meat, and eating out.

Today, we were jonesing for some homemade ice cream. We are obsessed with Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. We buy it at our local Fresh Market, however, Matthew recently had the privilege of going to her storefront in Columbus, Ohio (color me jealous!) while on tour and brought the cookbook home for our library.

I make ice cream all the time. It's definitely one of those things that seems a lot harder than it really is because good ice cream has minimal ingredients - cream, milk, sugar, and just a few extras for flavor. I also prefer American-style (Philadelphia-style) ice cream over French egg-custard. It's just a bit icier, less rich, and much easier to make (I'm known to curdle an egg/cream mixture).

We decided on Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk - it felt All-American and appropriate for the holiday. Buttermilk makes me all warm and fuzzy - it's such a Southern tradition - my grandmother drinks it out of the carton. As for me, I much prefer it in my recipes over drinking. We also decided to make a recommended balsamic reduction drizzle.

I can't wait to figure out what to do with the leftover roasted strawberry puree - but I think I have a summer cocktail in mind!

This ice cream is absolute perfection - creamy and sweet with a touch of sour - I can't wait to make more from Jeni's. Knowing us, we'll be cooking our way through the entire book this year.

SOUNDTRACK: Early Rock 'n Roll Classics. Listen here.

COOKBOOK: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home