Vanilla Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting (gfcf)

I made these yummy GFCFSFYF Gluten free, Casein free, Soy free and Yeast free) Vanilla Spice cupcakes  with Cinnamon Frosting for Liam's classroom on Thursday, they turned out really well!

I used Pamelas Vanilla Cake mix, and mixed in 1 1/2 TBS of Pumpkin Pie spice which essentially is just a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.

I followed the instructions on the bag for cupcakes. 

For the frosting I used the following ingredients:

 1/2 C coconut butter (which is soooooooo good, i love it and use it with many things in place of butter)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp almond/coconut milk (this is what we use in our house as our everyday milk. Jason is the only one who still uses cow milk for his morning oatmeal, even the babies drink this as their regular milk in their bottles. So much healthier! And no hormones and weird processed junk!)
To make the frosting use a stand mixer or hand mixer.Beat the butter at a medium-high speed.
Add the cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and beat until it’s creamy smooth, scrape the sides as needed. Add the milk little by little to see if it needs more or less liquid. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes or more.Frost once cupcakes are cool. I also added a few dashes of colored sugar (which i normally avoid due to food coloring not being very good for you, but i wanted to make them more festive and had some on hand. To each their own!)

You can find all of the gfcf ingredients i used at your local grocery store, in the health food (or should i say real food lol) section.

Enjoy! 

Love and light, 

A

Christmas cookies and treats: Our favorite family recipe traditions.

Buckeyes

4 cups creamy peanut butter

4 sticks butter at room temp

3 lbs confectioners sugar

2 packages (12 oz size) chocolate chips

1/2 bar of paraffin

Mix peanut butter and butter together.

Add confectioners sugar in by the cup, until smooth.

Form small balls then refrigerate.

Next melt paraffin and chocolate chips together on top of a double boiler of a heavy saucepan.

Using a toothpick, dip cold balls into chocolate.

Let dry on wax paper.

Makes about 166 candies. 

Brigadeiros and Snowballs

Brigadeiros 

3 tbs powdered cocoa

3 tbs butter

3 14 oz cans condensed mild (NOT evaporated)

Chocolate Sprinkles

Combine cocoa, butter and condensed milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture is very thick. This will take approx 10 minutes and mixture will resemble caramel.

Remove from heat and cool until lukewarm.

Butter hands and roll mixture into small 1 inch balls. Roll balls in chocolate sprinkles. 

Snowballs

1 cup butter softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbs water

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Colored sugar or colored edible glitter

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar and beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in water and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour and the chopped pecans. 

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325 degree oven about 20 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. 

In each of 3 small bowls place 1/3 cup of the sifted powdered sugar.  Add a different color of edible glitter or colored sugar to each. Gently roll and shake cooled cookies in desired powdered sugar mixture.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

2 large eggs

2 cups smooth peanut butter

2 cups sugar

60 chocolate Hershey kisses

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Beat together eggs, peanut butter and sugar. Shape dough in to small balls and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and press kisses down onto balls. transfer to rack to cool. 

Sugar Cookies

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 stick of butter flavored Crisco shortening

2 eggs

1/4 cup light corn syrup or regular pancake syrup

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups all purpose flour (plus 4 tbs divided)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Decorations- Your choice, granulated sugar, colored sugar crystals, frosting, candies, chips, nuts, raisins, coconut, decorating gel.... we did plain white frosting this year to avoid the addition of food coloring :)

Heat oven to 375.  Place sheets of foil on counter top for cooling cookies. 

Combine sugar and butter flavored Crisco in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, syrup, and vanilla. Beat until well blended and fluffy.

Combine 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix until well blended. Divide dough into 4 quarters. If dough is too sticky or too soft to roll wrap each quarter of dough with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour.

Spread 1 tbsp of flour on large sheet of wax paper. Place 1/4 of cough on floured paper. Flatten slightly with hands. Turn dough over and cover with another large sheet of wax paper. Roll dough into 1/4 inch thickness. 

Cut out with floured cutter. Transfer to un-greased baking sheet with a large spatula. Place 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with gran sugar or colored sugar crystals or leave plain to frost once cooled. 

Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375 for 5 to 9 minutes.  DO NOT OVER BAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely, then frost if desired. 

 Makes about 3-4 dozen. 

Magic Bars 

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (6 oz) package semi sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass) 

In a 13x9 inch baking pan, melt margarine in oven. Sprinkle crumbs over margarine then pour condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients and press down with a spatula. Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars.

Enjoy!

Love and light, 

A

AhMazingly Delish Chicken Enchiladas

I make these Chicken Enchiladas at least once or twice a month, and if i have ever had you over for dinner more than a few times you have probably tried them :)

I never knew just how delicious enchiladas could really be until i made these. I really feel like the key is in making your own sauce from scratch. And we like our spicy and extra saucy!

It is a recipe that requires a little bit of time, but once you get make it a few times, its a piece of cake. 

So worth the little bit of extra effort !

I originally got the recipe off the My Colombian Recipes website. 

If you have checked out some of my other Favorite Recipe posts, you know i get a lot of recipes off her site.There are some seriously delicious things on there to try let me tell ya! 

We like having extra sauce left over to put on our enchildas once they are done so i doubled the sauce recipe  and make ours a bit more spicy. 

Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil 
6-10 dried árbol chili to your taste
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
6 cups chopped tomatoes (I tend to use canned petite diced tomatoes. Easy and less expensive)
4 cups chicken stock (You will use the broth from your boiled chicken breasts- see below-)

4 cups Monterrey jack cheese
Salt and pepper
1 pack of corn tortillas (These are the yellow ones not the white flour ones. The taste and texture DO make a difference. The amount you use will depend on how much chicken you make and how much of the chicken, cheese and sauce you use to place in them, i don't like a skinny enchilada so i fill mine up, yum)
4 -6 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I use approx 4 bone in chicken breasts, boil them with a chopped onion and drop a few whole garlic cloves in too)
sour cream
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Salsa for garnish
Vegetable oil for warming the corn tortillas

First thing you want to do is boil your bone in chicken breasts. You will need the broth to make the sauce.
As i mentioned above, i add a whole chopped onion to the water along with a few whole garlic cloves for extra flavor. You will need to boil your chicken for approx 45 min.s or until done.

Once you have your chicken cooked, drain the breasts through a colander into a large pot to save your broth for the sauce. 

Set chicken breasts aside to cool and shred later, while your sauce is simmering.

To make the sauce- In a large pan over medium low heat , warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and chili and sauté until just golden, 5 to 7 minutes. (I do medium low because anything higher on my stove will burn the garlic and you don't want to do that. So keep and eye on the garlic and have your other ingredients ready to put in. I also chop my dried arbol chilis and get rid of the stems)

Stir in the cumin and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and the chicken broth. Stir and cook over medium-low heat for about 15-30 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, go ahead and shred your chicken and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, process the sauce mixture to a smooth puree, in batches if necessary.

BE CAREFUL. If you don't wait for it to cool, which i never do- the sauce will be VERY HOT and will expand while pureeing or blending, so DONT OVERFILL. I use a kitchen towel to put over my food processor or blender while pureeing to avoid messes (and burns lol)

Return the puree to the pan and set over medium heat for 5-10 minutes more & set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Heat vegetable oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Heat the tortillas in the hot pan until softened, about 20 seconds per side. I am used to doing this by now so i do a few at a time. When you first start out, just do 1 or 2 at a time so you dont fry them to a crisp.

Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to hold your enchiladas side by side. I make a lot so i end up using a large baking dish AND smaller 9 by 9. (Jason likes to take the smaller dish to work and share with his co-workers (= )

Place shredded chicken down the center of a tortilla, sprinkle the chicken filling with cheese and drizzle with sauce. Roll up the tortilla and place it in the dish, seam side down. Repeat until you have formed all of your enchiladas.

Drizzle the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese. We like ours saucy and cheesy so i pretty much DROWN the enchiladas in sauce, and just add as much cheese as we like on top.

Bake the enchiladas on 350 degrees until the filling is bubbling and the cheese is melted and golden, about 20 minutes. 

To serve- carefully transfer enchiladas to each plate, garnish with the sour cream, salsa and fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

I like to pair with a side of saffron rice and some shredded lettuce as well. 

So, so, so good. 

Let me know what you think!

-Alex

Our Thanksgiving Turkey

My very awesome mother in law, made this when Jason was around 5 years old. Awwwww. :) I didn't have a Turkey platter so she gave us this one to use, making our 1st time hosting Thanksgiving even more special.

Jason is a perfectionist when it comes to cooking and recipes and i just love cooking and food.

Also, since it was the first time my family was leaving their neck f the woods for a Holiday , we wanted to make it extra special so the food had to rock.
Alton Brown did not disappoint!
Thanks to this Good Eats Turkey Recipe, and the magical hands of Mr. JFresh ;) (my husband), we had a very tasty and yummy turkey on our table. Among many many other delicious sides!
 Here is how ours turned out-

French Toast Casserole

 I always make that one breakfast casserole recipe with the sausage and eggs and cream of mushroom soup and bread and cheese.....you probably know the one if you have ever stayed a weekend at our place :)

I am not normally a general fan of french toast at all but, i wanted to try something new and came across this simple, warm, gooey loveliness of a french toast casserole recipe.  

It was really easy to make and it turned out really well, not a piece left!

I actually didn't use french bread, only because we bought it too early and when I went to use it it was already moldy. So, instead we used regular sandwich bread, and it was still really yummy. Also Jason cant eat nuts so i excluded the pecans. Regardless, it was a hit :)

Let me know how you like it!

-Alex

Omega Berry Pancakes (gfcf)

 These chilly Fall mornings always call for something warm, and cozy to put in your tummy first thing in the a.m..
Today I decided on freshly made pancakes, and for me- a nice big hot mug of coffee. I like to use chocolate almond milk in my coffee instead of creamer, a little bit of sugar and a dash of cinnamon on top. Smells so good and is so very delicious.  

Omega Berry Pancakes:
I used Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free pancake mix and added my own twists as usual :)
I used 1 cup of mix
3/4 cup of coconut milk
1 heaping tablespoon of ground flaxseed (you never have too many Omegas in your diet!)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
1 large egg

a handful of frozen mixed berries (defrosted in your micro)
Coconut Oil or Spread to coat your pan.

Mix all of your ingredients minus the berries. Warm your pan to medium/medium low depending on how hot your stove gets.
i use a soup ladle to pour my batter in, make them as big or small as you like.
Once poured in, i hand pick and drop a few berries on top of the still uncooked side before flipping them over.
Serve with a dab of coconut butter, and warm syrup (high fructose corn syrup free, or pure maple, or carob!)
Enjoy and let me know what you think!

 Sam says, they are goooood :)

Love and light, 

A

Colombian Chicken Stew (Pollo Sudado)

I have posted this before on my Facebook page, but i wanted to share here as well.
This is a dish i make often,  and the smells and flavors always bring me back to my childhood.

I found this particular recipe on MyColombianRecipes.com, which is a really awesome website with many authentic Colombian recipes as well as other types of recipes as well. I have tried several off this site and all have turned out delicious.

You will find the recipe below, including my variations.
I use a little bit more of everything and compensate when i don't have the exact version of something the recipe calls for, like using Russets instead of Yellow potatoes at times, for example.
If you would like to view the original recipe and site click here.

INGREDIENTS
(4 SERVINGS) (If you use my variations it will make about 6-8 servings instead)
8 Chicken drumsticks or thighs, without the skin (While the drumsticks add more flavor, i prefer white meat so i do 2 bone in chicken breasts and i will also include a few drumsticks or a couple of thighs)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ cup chopped onion (I use a whole onion)

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper (I use the entire pepper and will also use green most of the time. Red makes this dish prettier but for whatever reason red bell peppers are also much more expensive)
1 minced garlic clove (I use 2 -3)

2 cup chopped tomato (If i don't have enough fresh tomatoes around, i use a large can of petite diced tomatoes. Its easier and less expensive as well. ALSO- IF YOU WOULD LIKE A SPICIER VERSION USE A FEW CANS OF ROTEL INSTEAD)
1 chicken bouillon (I use 2)
1 tablespoon sazon goya with azafran (I use 2 tablespoons of this. You can find this seasoning in your "Latin" section of your supermarket. make sure its the kind WITH azafran )

¼ teaspoon cumin powder (i use a little more, i eyeball it)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
8 small yellow potatoes, peeled and cut in half ( I love love love me some potatoes so i will always add a couple more than the recipe calls for. Also, if you don't have yellow potatoes or they are too expensive -they can be pricey sometimes- so I will often use good ol russets instead)
3 cups water (We like ours with lots of broth, so i use more water, about 6 cups. This is also necessary if you plan on using bone in chicken breasts and extra potatoes like me since adding those items take up more space in your pot)

White Rice (We will sometimes use yellow rice)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, garlic, salt and ground pepper and sauté for 5 more minutes.

2. Add the chicken, water, chicken bouillon, sazon Goya and cumin powder. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the potatoes and cilantro and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

4. Serve over white rice.

I hope you try this recipe, i know you will love it.

Let me know what you think! 

Love and light, 

A

Morning Glory Muffins (gfcf)

These were hearty and delicious. Also gfcf, so Liam was able to gobble them up too. Lately he's been (a teeny bit) more open to trying new foods and textures and that little window of opportunity is all i need :)

The original Morning Glory muffin recipe can be found here:
Morning Glory Muffins (gfcf)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 1/4 cups gluten-free all purpose flour mix (if your mix contains xanthan gum or guar gum don't add the additional 1 teaspoon gum to the recipe)
• 1 teaspoon guar gum OR xanthan gum
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated carrots (about 4 large carrots)
• 1 large peeled and shredded apple
• 8 ounces drained, crushed pineapple
• 3/4 cups raisins
• 1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup light olive oil OR canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C

Grease standard muffin pan or line with paper muffin cup liners.

In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, gluten-free flour blend, guar gum OR xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a large whisk to thoroughly combine.

In a separate large bowl combine shredded carrots, apples, crushed pineapple, raisins, coconut and nuts. Stir to thoroughly mix.

Add the fruit, vegetable, nut mixture to the dry ingredients followed by eggs, oil and vanilla. Beat the mixture to thoroughly combine ingredients.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Yield: About 2 dozen standard size muffins

Love and light, 

A

Apple and Pear Crisp (gfcf)

Jason has been doing most of the grocery shopping lately and this time he came home with a tray full of about 8 pears which are very ripe (They were on super sale for this reason). In fact there are 3 or 4 left that i need to find a recipe for by tomorow so they don't go to waste.
Today, because i also have a lot of apples, i decided to make this Apple and Pear crisp. I also decided to make it GFCF, so that Liam could have some too,since this is a dish he would more than likely try and like, which his a rarity.(also he has daddys sweet tooth haha)

A few personal notes/tweaks-

For the filling:
I also used Pamelas baking and pancake mix, but dont be afraid to try a different mix or make your own GF Mix!
I used 1 Granny Smith apple, 2 Yellow Delicious and 2 regular ol' pears (that's what we had and i wanted/needed to use more pears anyway)
i did not use the agave nectar, only because i am not a fan and hear its not too good for you (up there with high fructose corn syrup, supposedly ) plus i think Liam may have had an allergic reaction to it a while back but i am not sure so i don't want to risk it....

For the crisp topping:
I used Earth Balance Coconut butter/spread, which is super delicious and i totally recommend it for anyone and everyone. I use it all the time.

EASY APPLE AND PEAR CRISP RECIPE

GFCF Apple Pear Crisp from Glutenfreegoddess

Fruit crisps are easy seasonal desserts. And lucky for us gluten-free goddesses, they translate beautifully to no-gluten status.

Ingredients:

For the fruit filling:

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin

2 Yellow Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin

1 large red pear, cored, peeled, sliced thin

4 tablespoons unsweetened apple juice

1 tablespoon raw agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon gluten-free Apple Pie Spice (or cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice mix)

Pinch sea salt

For the crisp topping:

3/4 cup organic light brown sugar

3/4 cup gluten-free pancake and baking mix, such as Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3-4 tablespoons Spectrum Organic Shortening or vegan margarine

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Schmear a deep 9-inch pie plate with vegan shortening.

In a medium to large bowl, toss the apple and pear slices in the apple juice, agave, Apple Pie Spice, and a small pinch of sea salt.

In a separate bowl, stir together the organic brown sugar, gluten-free flour mix, and cinnamon. Add the shortening in dabs and rub between your fingers until moist crumbs form a crumble topping mixture.

Sprinkle a handful of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the prepared pie plate. Spoon in the apple and pear slices; add all the liquid. Top with the remaining crumble mixture.

Bake at 350ºF. in the center of the oven, for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the fruit is fork tender and the filling is bubbling and thickened. The top should be golden brown.

Cool a bit on a wire rack before serving warm or at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

The crisp may be reheated in the oven or a microwave, but it truly is best eaten the day you make it.

Serves 4.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

Here is mine:

I couldn't resist, and took a bite of it :) It is SO good. 

Everyone tried some, and its almost gone....

It is the best fresh out of the oven and i would suggest a dollop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt to make it perfect. 

Yum.

Let me know what you think!

Love and Light, 

A

Cheesy Chicken Pasta

A good old friend gave me a recipe a while back for a dish she makes called Chicken Spaghetti, which is the bomb. 

I have tweaked it a little, so that the babies can also eat it too since her dish was a bit spicy and its hard for them to pick up and eat spaghetti very well for now.
Its so freaking good and i make it at least a few times a month.
Check out my recipe for  Cheesy Chicken Pasta and let me know what you think!

Side note:
This was originally posted on my 3 little birds page along with the following helpful and healthy tip-

Danielle Gaines said...

Yum on the pasta ! i make something similar for harper. However , you need to kick the (soup) cans! Full of sodium . I make a base with low sodium/ no salt added organic chicken stock which is a little more expensive but you dont need much . You can cook the chicken and remove it from the pan , deglaze the pan with the stock and add a couple tablespoons of flour . The fat from the chx and the flour actually create a roux . Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer till it reduces. Its just as good and way less salt ! i also use variations of this as a base for chicken pot pie and chicken and dumplings : ) yum!

October 16, 2012 4:33 PM 

3 little birds- Adventures of The Parch Family said...

Yes, i know and you are so right! I have just never gotten a recipe down for a base and i simply need to get in the habit of doing it that way too. Your recipe sounds delish and i am most def going to give it go next time a recipe calls for a "soup". Also, whenever i boil chicken i keep the stock and freeze what i dont use so theres that. thanks for sharing!

October 16, 2012 4:41 PM 

Love and light, 

A

Herb Crusted bone in Chicken Breasts with rice pilaf and Brussels sprouts

On Monday i was looking for a quick, healthy and yummy recipe for some chicken breasts i had in the fridge that needed to be used. After looking online i found a few pretty good recipes, but i either didn't have all of the ingredients needed or didn't have the time for the ideas i liked.  So, i decided to take just some of the ideas from those that sounded good and came up with my own dinner ensemble. H So good! It got the family's approval for sure. Try it! 

Ingredients

4 Tbsp	olive oil
2-3 Tbsp	minced onion
2-3 clove	minced garlic
2 tsp	dried thyme
1 tsp	dried rosemary crushed
1/2 tsp	ground sage
	salt to taste
	pepper to taste
	a couple of dashes of hot pepper sauce to taste
4	bone in chicken breasts with skin
	a handful of chopped parsley

Directions

 Preheat oven to 425

In a bowl (large enough to be able to put your chicken breasts in one at a time) prepare basting sauce by combining oil with minced onion, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce.

Turn chicken breasts in sauce to coat thoroughly. Place skin side up in shallow baking dish. Cover (I used alum foil and covered loosely).

Roast at 425, basting occasionally with pan drippings for about 40 to 60 minutes. NOTE: Stop basting after 30-40 minutes and take cover off for the last 10 to 20 minutes to get skin crispy. Times vary based on your oven and size of chicken breasts.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve. 

I served this dish with a side of (boxed) rice pilaf and some fresh Brussels sprouts, which i boiled until fork tender, then placed in a serving bowl with a little bit of salt, pepper, butter and a squirt of lemon juice. Delish!

Smoothie Central

47 Smoothies for Summer | Institute for Integrative Nutrition

This link is great for anyone who is into making smoothies for themselves or maybe you might have a picky eater in your midst like we do. I have to get very creative to get all those good veggies and fruits in to Liams diet and fruit/veggie concoctions seen to do the trick!