Turkey and Rice Soup

Need something to do with those turkey leftovers? Homemade turkey and rice soup hits the spot on a cold winter's night!

Turkey leftovers

8 C broth (chicken or vegetable)

carrots

celery

onions

garlic (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

bay leaf

1 C rice (mine was already cooked)

Bring broth to boil and add vegetables and spices. When veggies are tender, add turkey and rice. Cook until heated through.

**Chicken could be used as well.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Butter

Sour Cream

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Ginger (just a tiny)

Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees for one hour wrapped in tinfoil. Cut in half and scoop potato away from skin. Add enough butter and sour cream to create a creamy potato. Add spices to taste. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar.

Rainbow Jell-O

Rainbow Jell-O

1 each of following 3oz Jell-O
Lemon, Orange, Strawberry, Black Cherry

1st Layer:
Divide 1 pkg of Jell-O in half (approx ¼ C)
Dissolve in ½ C boiling water
Add ½ C cold water and let set for 1 hour in refrigerator.

2nd layer:
Take the remainder of the 1st pkg of Jell-O
Dissolve in ½ C boiling water
In separate bowl, use a wire whisk to mix ½ C sour cream or plain yogurt and ¼ C water.
Mix with Jell-O
Pour on top of first layer of Jell-O.

Repeat 1st and 2nd steps with each pkg of Jell-O
Spread cool whip on top of last layer of Jell-O

Parmesean Rolls

I just used my Featherlite Bread recipe for these. In a seperate bowl I mixed parsley, garlic powder and parmesean cheese (no measurements, just to taste). These were made in my mini bundt pan, so I sprayed the pan, sprinkled a little of the seasonings in the bottom and then filled each mini bundt 2/3 full and topped it with more seasonings. Cover and let rise until double. I baked them at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Steamed Carrots with Dill and Brown Sugar

Steamed Carrots

Enough melted butter and brown sugar to lightly coat your carrots and a sprinkle of dill seasoning.

Pumpkin Pie

I found this recipe here and thought it looked pretty good. It has a very simple crust and has the great flavor of pumpkin pie. I needed something quick and easy to take the kids for their Thanksgiving lunch and this did the job! The only changes I made was that I used Cool Whip instead of the sour cream and honey topping and I did not have any evaporated milk, so I used 2/3 C dry milk powder and 3/4 C water as a substitute.


Pumpkin Pie bars

For the crust:
1 1/4 c rice flour mix
1/4 t xanthan gum
1/2 c brown sugar
a pinch of salt
a stick of butter
1 T milk, water, or eggnog (!)

For the filling:
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
3/4 c brown sugar
a pinch of salt
1 t cinnamon
a big pinch of ginger and clove and nutmeg
2 eggs
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)

For the topping:
1 c sour cream
1/4 c honey

Preheat the oven to 450. Blend together the first four crust ingredients, then cut in the butter. You can do this in a food processor or by hand. Stir in whatever liquid you're using, and press into a greased 8x8 pan and set aside.
Stir together pumpkin, sugar, spices and eggs, then stir in the milk. Carefully pour over the crust and bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 45-50 minutes until set.
Let cool. Combine the sour cream and honey, and pour carefully over the top. Cool to room temperature.

Spooky Spider Treats

I used this recipe here, and added about 1/4 C Dark Cocoa powder to make them chocolate. When the cupcakes cooled, I drew three rings on the top and then ran a toothpick through the rings to make them appear as a spider web. Then place a spider ring in the center.

Crock Pot Ribs

Crock Pot Ribs

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. baby back ribs (We use boneless pork ribs)
¾ tsp. black pepper
¾ tsp. white pepper ( did not use)
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup dark brown sugar ( I used light brown)
¾ tsp. ground oregano
1 T paprika
1½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ cup barbecue sauce

Directions:

Cut ribs into sections small enough to fit inside your crock pot. Mix all remaining ingredients except barbecue sauce to create a dry rub. Rub all over the ribs and place them in the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove ribs from crock pot and brush with barbecue sauce.
Serve with extra napkins and try to wait until you get to the table before digging in.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup

3 C chicken broth
1 C diced celery
½ C chopped onion
5 C diced potato
3/4 C sliced carrots
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 TBS minced garlic
¾ C butter
¾ C GF flour
1 quart half-n-half
2-3 C grated cheese

Cook veggies with chicken broth, salt, pepper and garlic on the stovetop until veggies are tender. In another saucepan, melt butter and then add flour. Mix well. Slowly stir in half-n-half. When well blended, add to veggies and chicken broth. Add cheese and serve.

Dutch Oven or Crock-Pot Potatoes

This has to be one of our favorite summertime meals. We have always made these in the dutch oven, but I wanted to try them in the crock pot and see how it turned out. Both ways are a huge success.

This is one of those meals that I don't really measure. I just make according to how many people I will be feeding. For our family of five this is what I used.

Ingredients

1 lb sliced smoked sausage, smokies, or cooked, cut up bacon
5-6 potatoes, diced
1 C sliced carrots
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 stalk celery sliced
Mushrooms (optional)
Garlic (fresh minced or powdered, season to taste)
Italian seasoning (season to taste)
Pepper (season to taste)
Grated cheddar cheese

1 stick butter sliced-for dutch oven
1/4 stick butter sliced and nonstick spray-for crock-pot

For dutch oven-
Place sliced butter, carrots and onions in dutch oven. Cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Add potatoes, celery, sausage/bacon, and seasonings. Cover and cook over hot briquettes until veggies are tender. Takes about one hour to one hour thirty minutes. Generously cover with shredded cheddar cheese.

For crock-pot-
Spray sides of crock pot with non stick spray and place sliced butter in the bottom. In a medium size bowl, place everything except cheese and mix well. Place in crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.
Cover with grated cheddar cheese and serve as a main dish with a side salad or serve it as a side dish with barbecued chicken.

Oatmeal and Raisin Snack Bars

This has been a hit with the kids. The first time I tried it, I used just the Quinoa and it was way to nutty flavored. So the second time I tried it with the GF oats and I added chocolate chips. They tasted really good. I also halved the recipe and received the thickness of bars shown here below. We will definitely be making this one again. This recipe comes from Living Without.


Makes 24 Bars

1⅓ cups gluten-free rolled oats or 1 cup
quinoa flakes
1 cup sorghum flour
¾ cup white or brown rice flour
½ cup tapioca starch/flour
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1⅔ cups light brown sugar, not packed
⅔ cup canola oil or other vegetable oil
2 eggs
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ cup raisins, soaked in warm water

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
2.In large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3.In medium bowl, combine vegetable oil, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla.
4.Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix with a fork or wooden spoon until blended.
5.Drain raisins, reserving ¼ cup liquid. Fold raisins into batter. Add reserved liquid, a little at a time until batter is smooth. Batter will be thick.
6.Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
7.Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or squares. To store, wrap and freeze.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork or Chicken

This meal requires a few hours in the kitchen, but well worth the effort! I came across this recipe on another blog I was reading, Family Favorite Recipes. It is not a GF blog, but a lot of the recipes could and can be converted to GF. My husband likes pork and the kids and myself like chicken, so the first time I made this, we used pork and then tried it again another night with chicken. Both were a success. My mom has tried it using a roast and said it tasted great. We made it tostada style as well as taco style. With the tostada style, I lightly browned the tortilla on a griddle until crispy, and then topped with rice, beans, meat, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream.

This one is with the pork, served with the Cilantro Ranch and tortilla chips.

SWEET PORK
2 pounds pork
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can RED enchilada sauce (I used Rosarita, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar

Corn Tortillas for serving finished pork on

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 C of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

CILANTRO-LIME RICE
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

BLACK BEANS
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")

CILANTRO RANCH
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

For the taco style, I warmed the tortilla up on a griddle, filled it with rice, beans, meat and cheese. I then folded the tortilla in half and placed in the oven on a baking sheet and broiled it on high until it was golden brown. I removed it and topped it with tomatoes.

Snicker doodles

Today is one of those days when I want to shout from the rooftop...HOORAY!! I have tried a couple different versions of snicker doodle recipes and failed. Today I was craving a cookie really bad. So I whipped out the cookbook to make a batch of Oreo Cookies when the thought occurred to me to make vanilla Oreo's instead of chocolate. Well, when I finished the batter, I thought to myself, this would make a good snicker doodle cookie. It sure did! The best part for me is that the cookies are not flat and greasy. They are fluffy and chewy.

The original Oreo recipe comes from Eating Gluten Free

The recipe below has the changes to make the Snicker doodles.

1 ¾ c. margarine
1 large pkg. instant Vanilla pudding mix
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

4 c. featherlight mix
1 ¾ tsp. xanthan gum
¾ tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. salt

Cream margarine, pudding mix, and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.

Chill about 1 hour. Roll cookies into 1 inch balls and cover with cinnamon and sugar blend. Place on greased baking sheet (I use parchment paper). Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool. Store in air tight container.

Fruit and Jell-O Jam

This has to be one of the easiest recipes ever. In years past I have always done the same flavor...fresh peaches and strawberry Jell-O. We have been on a serious blueberry kick the past few weeks, so I decided to try making it with a few berries mixed. SO YUMMY! That's right, we had pancakes tonight just to taste test the end results. So for this batch, I used fresh blueberries, raspberries and a few blackberries to make the 5 cups and strawberry Jell-O.

1 Small (3 oz.) package Strawberry Jello
5 cups peeled, pitted & chopped peaches (into 1/4 -1/2 ” thick chunks)
4 cups Sugar

Yield: 5-7 Half pint jars

To peel peaches, blanch them by placing in boiling water for 30-60 sec. or until skin is loosened. Remove from water & peel. Pit peach, and chop. Combine chopped peaches and sugar in a 6 qt. pot, put on medium heat & stir constantly until sugar is dissolved… gradually raise heat. Bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling even when stirred), and boil hard for 7 min. Add Jello in last min or so and mix until completely dissolved! Ladle into hot sterilized jars, and put on hot sterilized lid, and then place on band ring. Process in hot water bath for 10 min. Jam will set up gradually as it cools, but it is generally a softer set than jam recipes from the Sure Jell box! Yummers!
Note: This recipe can also be changed to suit the fruit you have, so if you have only strawberries, or raspberries, or whatever, use 5 cups of them, any flavor jello you desire & the amount of sugar listed.

Betty Crocker Cookies

Nothing is more exciting in the Gluten Free world than when you hear that a company has come out with a new product. Well, Little Ms. Betty Corcker has done just that. The first time I sent Jon to the store to pick one up, I learned that it is just shy of $5 a box! "No way!" I said. Curiousity got to me and I broke down and bought one. I would have to say that I am really disappointed. They are flat, greasy and very grainy. I have made others from scratch that have tasted better. It was absolutely nice to just open a box, add an egg and butter and be done, but for the price, I dont' think I will be buying the cookie mix again. Betty Crocker does have two cake mixes out that I might give a try, I just need a few days to forget how disappointed I am right now...

Down Home Berry Cobbler

I found this recipe in an old box of recipe cards I have stored in the cupboard. It looked good, sounded good and guess what? It tastes really good too! I did make a few changes to use what I had on hand...2 C strawberries, 1 1/2 C blueberries and 1 C blackberries. I also used frozen orange juice instead of apple juice.

Down Home Berry Cobbler

2 ½ C Fresh raspberries
2 ½ C fresh strawberries or blueberries
2 TBS cornstarch
½ - ¾ C sugar
1 C GF flour mix
½ tsp xanthan gum
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1/3 C butter
1/3 C milk
2 TBS frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix berries and cornstarch in medium bowl. Add sugar (more or less depending on sweetness of the berries). Spoon into sprayed 8 inch square baking dish.
Combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Melt butter and combine with milk and apple juice. Mix well.

Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until dry ingredients are moistened. Evenly drop 6 heaping tablespoons of dough over berries in baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbly. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Zucchini Bars

One of the things I have missed the most during summer is the taste and smell of zucchini bread. I have tried several recipes and still have not found one. Then the thought occurred to me to try it using the Sour Cream Banana Bar recipe and just subbing out the banana's for the zucchini and adding a little cinnamon. Very happy with the outcome!!

1 ½ c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
½ c. butter, softened (or substitute ¼ c. butter and ¼ c. applesauce)
2 eggs
2 ½ c. Shredded zucchini
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. GF flour (featherlight or sorghum/cornstarch mix)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Add zucchini, sugar, butter, sour cream, and eggs. Cream together. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Grease and flour 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1” pan (deep cookie sheet). Spread batter in pan. Bake at 375 degrees until light brown (20-25 minutes). Mine takes closer to 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly. Frost with Browned Butter Frosting.

Browned Butter Frosting
¼ c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. milk

Heat butter over medium heat until delicate brown. Mix in sugar, vanilla, and milk. Beat until smooth.

**UPDATE:  I now use this really cool pan to make my Zucchini and Banana Bars and I just melt some cream cheese frosting over the top.

Stuffed and Wrapped Green Chilies

This is a recipe I got from my mother-in-law several years ago. I was very nervous to try it because I am not a huge green chili fan, but you know what? They are so yummy. The combination of the hot chili and cool cream cheese go very well together.  When baking them, I use toothpicks to hold them together. You can serve them with or without the toothpicks still in them.

Green chilies (I use mild.  If you like a fiery burn, go with something hotter!)
Cream cheese
Bacon (we use turkey bacon)
Toothpicks
Cut the ends of the chilies and clean out the seeds. If the chilies are long enough, I cut them into two to three sections. Fill each section with cream cheese and wrap a slice of bacon around it. Secure it with a toothpick. Place on baking sheet lined with  tinfoil. (I spray my tinfoil with non-stick spray)  Bake in oven at 350 degrees until bacon is browned and crispy. During the summer, I actually cooked mine out on the grill on a sheet of tinfoil so I don't heat up the house. Turned out great!

Tomato Basil Chicken Bake

This was a fabulous summertime BBQ meal.

(The second time around, I put the tomatoes on first

then the cheese.  It helped keep all the tomatoes in place)

8 Chicken breasts
Zesty Italian Dressing
8 Provolone Cheese slices
4-5 Roma Tomatoes
1 tsp Garlic
1 1/2 tsp Basil
1/8 C vinegar
1/8 C Olive oil
1 tsp mustard
Dash of salt and pepper

I cut the tomatoes into chunks and added the garlic, basil, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil and the mustard. Blend thoroughly and refrigerate. I marinated my chicken in the dressing all day. Heat grill and cook chicken until cooked all the way through. Turn heat off and place a slice of cheese per chicken and top with tomato mixture. Close the grill lid and let the cheese melt.

Toad in the Hole

This has always been one of Jon's favorite recipes, and not so much mine. Morgan and Jon read a book together that reminded him of this recipe. He ask me to add the ingredients to my shopping list. Being a good wife, I did just that. So I attempted to convert this to being GF and it worked out really well. Jon says it tastes just like the real thing. It doesn't make very much so we made a side of waffles and muffins and had breakfast for dinner. I actually even really liked it this time.

1 C GF flour mix
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb small breakfast sausages

Prepare batter and refrigerate for 1 hour. Half cook sausages in pan. Transfer to greased baking dish (8x8). Space sausages 1 inch apart. Pour batter over sausages and bake in preheated oven at 400-425 degrees. for 30-40 minutes.

Scotch-A-Roos

1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo syrup
5 1/2 C GF Rice Chex
1 bag butterscotch chips
1/2 bag milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 C Peanut Butter

Put sugar and Karo syrup in pan. Once it comes to a boil, remove from heat. Add in 1 1/2 cups peanut butter. Then add 5 1/2 cups GF Rice Chex. Stir together and pour into cake pan. Spread out into the pan. Melt together one bag butterscotch chips and 1/2 bag chocolate chips. Pour over the cereal mixture and let set.

Sweet and Sour Smokies

This recipe is a 'however much you want' recipe!

Smokies

Barbeque Sauce

Pineapple chunks, tidbits or crushed ( I even use some of the juice)

Place everything in the crockpot. Cook until heated through.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 cups chicken meat cooked (cubed or shredded)
1/2 c sliced onions
3/4 cup sliced peppers (red, yellow, orange and green)
2 Roma tomatoes diced

Sauce
1/2 Cup water
5 Tb Cornstarch
3/4 Cup Brown sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 20 oz. chunk pineapple (use juice for sauce)
2 Tb GF soy sauce
1/4 c vinegar

Make sauce and cook until thickened. Add veggies and chicken and simmer for 15 minutes. Just before serving add tomatoes. Serve over rice

8-10 Servings

Huli Huli Chicken

Can I just say....Oh my yummy! This was a huge hit. The chicken was so moist and had the best flavor. I think this is a new family favorite. Especially with summer barbeque's coming up.



Huli Huli Chicken

5-8 Large chicken Breasts cut in half
3/4 C GF soy sauce
1/2 C freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 C honey
1/3 C brown sugar
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger root
1 tsp Asian chile paste or sambal oelek ( I used Sambal Chili Paste. Can be bought at Smith's)
1 tsp sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Hawaiian sea salt or other salt to taste

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together all ingredients except chicken. Place the chicken in a Ziplock bag and pour in marinade. Marinate for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Grill until chicken is done.

Texas Chicken Quesadillas

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, sliced into rings (I chop mine very fine)
1 tablespoon honey
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips or chunks
1/2 cup GF barbeque sauce
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
24 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Slowly cook and stir onion until translucent. Mix in honey. Stir until onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Place remaining oil and chicken in the skillet over medium high heat. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in barbeque sauce and evenly coat chicken.
4. Layer 12 tortillas individually with chicken, onions, Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. Top with remaining tortillas.
5. Place tortillas on a large baking sheet. You may only be able to bake 5-6 at a time. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Do not let tortillas become too crisp. Remove from heat. Cut into quarters to serve

We cooked ours on a griddle and reheated the leftovers in the oven the following day. They were fabulous.

Fruit Pizza

A summertime classic. Full of color and yummy flavor!

For this recipe I cooked mine on a 15 inch round glass pan. If you want to make it in a jelly roll pan, I would use a full cookie recipe and double the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.

1/2 Soft Batch Cookie recipe

4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 C powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Seasonal fruit of your choice. I used strawberries, blueberries and mandarin oranges.

Glaze:
1/2 C pureed strawberries (or fruit of your choice)
1/2 C water
1/4 C sugar
2 TB cornstarch
Cook until thickened.

Spread cookie dough out on greased pan of your choice. I baked mine at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Let cool. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread over cookie crust. Top with your favorite seasonal fruits. Drizzle glaze over the pizza. If not serving immediately, refrigerate.

Honey Nut Chex

Now available in select stores! YEAH!!!

Rice Chex has been out for almost a year now. I picked up the box of

Honey Nut at our local Walmart Neighborhood Grocery store.

Chocolate Covered Cake Pops

I found this awesome website called Bakerella and she makes these really cool cake pops. I followed her directions located on her website only I baked a GF cake and colored it pink. I was looking for a fun new birthday classroom treat for my girls and this hit the spot. They are definitely a very sweet treat. They are supposed to look like cupcakes, but it will just need to work on that!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Minus the gluten filled noodles!

Three chicken breasts cooked and cubed

2/3 C creamed soup mix plus 2 1/2 C water

4 oz. cream cheese

Cooked rice

Pineapple

Green onions

Chopped olives

Grated cheddar cheese

Roma tomatoes diced

Mix creamed soup mix, water and cream cheese on stovetop. When all blended and thickened, add cooked chicken. Serve over cooked rice and add toppings.

Deviled Eggs

Summer is approaching and these are a favorite side dish for a picnic or a barbeque.

This is another recipe where I don't really measure, it's more about looks, taste and consistency.

Today I used:
12 hard boiled eggs shelled, cut in half and the yolks removed into separate bowl.
1 tsp vinegar
1/3 C mayonnaise - approximately
1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
Dash of onion powder

Mix yolks and all the other ingredients until you have reached your desired consistency (peanut butter) and spoon back into egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate until served.

Black Bean Tostada's

This isn't anything new, just a variations of the usual at our house. My girls have really taken a liking to black beans. I like to prepare mine in the crock pot with garlic and onions. (follow directions on package of beans for amounts to be cooked). After they have cooked all day, then I drain the juices into a separate bowl which will be added as needed to make the consistency desired. Mash or beat beans and add salt to desired flavor. It worked well for me to blend mine in the blender. Top tostada's with your family's favorite toppings.

Race Track Cake

Braden's Birthday Cake...

I used the chocolate cake recipe and doubled it to get two round cakes. For the track, I used crushed up Oreos. I frosted the cake with Duncan Hines Cream Cheese flavored frosting.

Red Robin, Red Robin!

One of our favorite family places to go out to eat was Red Robin. Well, having Celiac puts an extreme limit on your eating out choices, almost makes it none. We have baked french fries in the oven quite a few times, but it's just not the same. So we pulled out the good old fry daddy and fried up some crinkle cut french fries and then sprinkled them with our homemade Red Robin seasoning which I found the recipe for online. They were so yummy. I did not have the dry tomato soup mix the recipe calls for, but it still had great flavor. We will definitely be doing this one again!

Red Robin French Fry Seasoning

3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon instant tomato soup mix (Knorr tomato with basil works nicely)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a shaker of some sort (I used our salt shaker)

Happy St. Patty's Day

Just made up a few treats for the kiddos school class for St. Patrick's Day.

Click here for the Cookie recipe.

Click here for the cupcake recipe. (I just added green food coloring for this specific holiday)

Cinnamon Popcorn

Just another way to jazz up a bowl of popcorn!

This recipe came from my friend Erin...thanks for sharing.

8 C popped popcorn
5 oz. Dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
1/3 C butter
1/3 C Honey
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add honey and cinnamon until all blended together. Pour over Popcorn and raisins. Spread out on a greased baking sheet or in a roasting pan and bake at 325 degrees for fifteen minutes, stirring every five minutes so it does not burn. Let cool and enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken

I really liked this recipe. I thought it had great flavor.

4-5 chicken breasts cubed
1 1 /2 Cwater
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground ginger
4 TB honey
1/2 C GF soy sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1 20 oz. can pineapple tidbits plus the juices
Cornstarch for thickening

Place chicken and pineapple in the crockpot. Cook on low for about 7-8 hours. Right before ready to serve, on stovetop bring to a boil the remaining ingredients including the pineapple juice. Cook until desired thickness. Add to chicken and pineapple. Serve over rice.

Cinnamon Sticky Buns

Cinnamon Rolls have always been a Christmas tradition for us. It was hard not having them this past year. I have had this recipe laying around since the holidays and been putting off making it. I usually find it very discouraging to replace one of our favorite 'bread' recipes for a GF version. I decided there was only one way to find out if we were going to like these new cinnamon rolls....I had to dive in and make them. They definitely don't replace our old favorites, but they do taste good. I made mine in a pan with 12 mini bundt molds.
This is what they look like right out of the oven.

This is what they looked like after I turned them over and drizzled them with cream cheese frosting.

This recipe comes from The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread, Cinnamon Pecan Sticky Buns. I made the cinnamon version. Also, instead of buying Almond meal (because it is very expensive), I just bought a small bag of slivered almonds and blended them in my food processer.

Cinnamon Sticky Buns

Topping
Margarine or butter melted ¼ C
Brown sugar ¼ C
Cinnamon 1 tsp
Pecans, chopped ½ C

Dry Ingredients
Featherlite flour 2 C
Xanthun gum 1 ¼ tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Unflavored gelatin 1 tsp
Sugar 1/3 C
Almond meal or nut quick 3 TB
Dry yeast granules 2 ¼ tsp

Wet Ingredients
Potato pearls of flakes 2 tsp
Warm water 1 C
Margarine or butter, melted 1/3 C
Dough enhancer or vinegar ½ tsp
Honey 2 tsp
Eggs 3

Prepare your tins by dividing the butter into the cups and adding brown sugar blended with the cinnamon. Sprinkle on the nuts and set aside.
In mixing bowl, place the dry ingredients and blend with mixing whisks. Blend the potato pearls with the water. Add to the dry ingredients with the butter, vinegar and honey. Blend together. Break in the eggs and beat on high for 2 ½ minutes. Divide the dough into the prepared tins. Let rise for a bout 25-35 minutes or until almost doubled. Bake at 375° in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn out from the tins while still warm. Serve either warm or cold.

**Cinnamon Rolls: Omit the pecans and add 1 tsp more cinnamon to the topping ingredients. Drizzle slightly melted cream cheese frosting over the top while still warm.

Spanish Style Chicken and Rice Soup

I love this soup for two reason's...it has a ton of flavor and has a great variety of color. I saw this on Rachel Ray a few years back. I replaced the noodles for rice and it works out well. It can be made on the stovetop or the crockpot. I prefere the crockpot because I can start it in the morning and forget about dinner until it's time to serve it.


Ingredients

• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 medium-size carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons (about a palmful) chili powder
• 1 bay leaf, use fresh if available
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) chicken stock ( 6 C water, 6 tsp GF chicken bullion)
• 1/2 C uncooked rice, lightly browned in olive oil **
• 2-3 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed

• For garnish:
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• A couple of handfuls of blue or red corn tortilla chips
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• We only garnished with grated Colby Jack cheese and dipped tortilla chips in it.

Preparation
I add everything to the crockpot but the rice and corn. Cook on low for 6 hours on low. Add rice and corn the last hour of cooking.

** FYI
The reason I browned my rice in olive oil first, is so that when I add it too the soup, it does not keep absorbing the juices.

Barbeque Chicken Pizza

It's Friday night, so that means pizza! This is a yummy change from the traditional pepperoni.

Click here for pizza dough recipe.

3-4 Cooked and cubed chicken tenders

Barbeque Sauce ( I used Masterpiece Original)

Monzarella cheese

Olives

Sliced green onions

Fresh diced Roma tomatoes (place on after pizza has cooked)

After you have moslty cooked the pizza dough, remove from oven and spread thin layer of barbeque sauce on crust. Add cheese and toppings. Place back in oven to finish cooking, long enough to melt the cheese. Add tomatoes, slice and serve!

Granola Cookies

This is a recipe that my daughter's teacher found. They have cooking committee every week (which has not been the funnest thing for me!) She asked me to try them and see how they turned out. So we did. Besides cooking them longer than I would have liked, they tasted pretty good. I only made a fourth of the recipe listed so I wouldn't waste the ingredients in case it did not turn out. I also added chocolate chips.

1 C butter
2 C brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 C GF oats
1 C chocolate chips (Optional)

In sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a sprayed baking dish (13 x 9 x 2) and bake at 350 degress for 20-25 minutes. (I did 25 and it was too much). Cut into small squares or bars. Makes about 4 dozen

Homemade Applesauce

So my brother bought us a rice cooker and I think it is my new best friend. Besides making the best rice it can steam vegetables and cook other dishes in it. I had a bowl full of apples on the verge of not being eatable, so I thought I would try to make some applesauce. Oh, my, yummy! It put the boughten stuff to shame. I only wish I had more apples!

How I made it:

4-5 apples cut, peeled and chopped ( I think they were Gala and Braeburn)
1 C water
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 TB sugar
1 TB brown sugar

*The amount of sugar and cinnamon is up to you and the amount of flavor you want. This was just what I tried and we really liked it.

I put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the rice cooker and then placed in the steaming tray. Cut, peel and chop the apples. Steam for 15 minutes or until tender. If you don't like chunks like myself, scoop the apple pieces into the blender and add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Can be served either hot or refridgerated until chilled. This only made about 1 1/2 cups of applesauce.

Fideo

I have to thank my sis Michelle for this great recipe. It is a little on the spicy side, so some kids may not like it.

I have boughten El Pato at Walmart and Smith's. It is on the same aisle as the green chillies.

The Queso Fresco comes in a round block. I crumble it after opening the package. I get mine at Walmart only because it is cheaper.


Fideo

1/2 uncooked rice
Brown rice in a pan (stock pot) with some oil. (Browning the rice makes it so it won't continue to swell and soak up all the liquids). Once the rice is browned, add the following:

3 cans of tomato sauce
1 can of El Pato (I only use half a can or it is too spicy for my kids.)
4 cans of water
Cooked, shredded chicken (as much as you want)
Chicken bullion to taste
Garlic to taste

Simmer for a bit. Top with queso fresco , fresh lime juice and
tortilla chips.