By: | May 16, 2025 | | Middletown
by Emma Sylvia
I sat down with Middletown resident and recently published author, Jeanette Smerina, and during our talk, we remarked on our similarities: Similar vocations, a love of writing, an Italian background. The critical area on where we differ, however, is just what I went to Smerina to discuss: Her skills in cooking.
Smerina has been living with her husband, Gary, in Middletown for the past 15 years, and is the proud mom of two children, Andrew and Claire. Former residents of Staten Island and then Sayreville, the Smerinas settled in Middletown after hearing rave reviews of the school districts, as well as the town’s proximity to the beach and all of its parks. Upon being offered literally the last house available, the Smerinas leapt at the opportunity and moved in.
Being a cookbook author, however, was never a part of her plan.
“We’re an Italian-American family, so food is a big thing,” she notes. But some of that food was becoming a problem.
Smerina’s husband began to face different health issues that they couldn’t quite pinpoint the causes of. After several rounds of tests, it was discovered that he had allergies to soy and dairy, as well as a gluten intolerance.
“That posed a problem for us, because that’s in so many things we cook,” she says. Being home much of the time during Covid, Smerina took the opportunity to begin testing new recipes to accommodate the family’s new diet.
“He was happy with the results. When we had people over or would go to their houses, people said, ‘Wow, this is gluten free?’ We got to talking, and I thought, why don’t we put these recipes in a book?”
The process of making her cookbook, “Cozy Kitchen: Allergy Friendly Cooking,” took several years to complete. Through her connections to the publishing industry, and through a friend who published her own book, she decided that the natural course of action for her was self-publishing. In November of 2024, in a time crunch to get the book out before the holiday season, Smerina published the cookbook.
“When I put it out there on social media, my friends had no idea,” she recalls. I didn’t want to hype it up because I wasn’t sure of the timeline. I had a lot of supporters who went out and bought it. My neighbor said she was so excited when I gifted her a copy and said, ‘I have a nephew who can’t eat a lot of those things too, so I’m excited to try this.’”
“Cozy Kitchen: Allergy Friendly Cooking” is her first book, but it contains just a fraction of the recipes she’s concocted over the years for her family. But don’t expect the sequel anytime soon.
“I have to space it out. I’d make the recipe, test it out, make sure it still worked, and I’d set up a photoshoot in my kitchen with the lighting and that sort of thing. I’d do one, two, or three recipes a day. It was very labor intensive. I need a pause, but making a new book isn’t out of the question. It was just a sample.”
For those considering writing their own book – whether it be fiction or a cookbook like Cozy Kitchen – Smerina says that anything is possible.
“I think people get in their heads, and they think of the end goal, and that there are too many steps in between. Yes, there are a lot of steps, but nothing is impossible. This wasn’t a project to make millions of dollars on a book. This was a personal thing to showcase something I was doing for the health of my husband, the benefit of my family, and see it from start to finish. Ordering a copy, getting it in your hands, and knowing you have 99.9% control and oversight of it – it’s an accomplishment, and I’m proud of what we did. I would love for other people to be able to do that.”
Jeanette Smerina is on Facebook @ umbrellasky, and on Instagram @umbrellasky517
You can find “Cozy Kitchen: Allergy Friendly Cooking” on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com
A sample recipe from “Cozy Kitchen: Allergy Friendly Cooking”
PALM HEARTS AND TOMATO SALAD:
Salads are a great addition to any meal, but traditional “leafy” salads can sometimes get overdone. When my husband’s coworker told him about making salad from palm hearts, I was requested to give it a go. Palm hearts are harvested from the core of certain palm trees. When raw they are crunchy, but stores often sell them marinating in a salty brine. They’re reminiscent of a smoother artichoke heart and are very mild in flavor. That means they won’t overwhelm the salad but will soak up the flavors around them. Palm Hearts and Tomato Salad puts together two refreshing ingredients that are perfect for summer barbecues and other meals.
Makes 1 large salad to share
1 jar (25 ounces) of hearts of palm, or the equivalent of 18-20 sticks of palm hearts
3 cups grape tomatoes
1 small red onion
1/4 cup red wine or
balsamic vinegar
Fresh parsley, to taste
Dried Italian seasoning, to taste
1. Slice the palm hearts into coins. Don’t worry if some unravel, as they tend to do that.
2. Cut each tomato in half, and chop the red onion into pieces.
3. Put these ingredients in a bowl, and add the vinegar and spices. Toss everything to coat and distribute.
4. Add the fresh parsley and toss once more. Serve now or chill in the refrigerator, as it’s equally delicious cold or at room temperature.
Tip: Save the jar from the palm hearts. If you have any salad leftover, put it back into the jar and slip into the refrigerator for easy storage.
