Mimi's chicken soup

Chicken, any cut will do. Bone in is best since it gives the most flavor. I usually use 2 bone in chicken breasts, or a combo of one bone in breast and a thigh or leg(s).

Use as much as you like, you can add more or less water if you like it extra soup-y or more stew-y.
My kids love the broth so I add a good amount of water.

2 or 3 carrots, peeled and sliced.
1/4 onion finely diced
1 celery stick washed
a sprig (?) of cilantro
1 or two potatoes peeled and quartered
olive oil
salt
garlic powder
onion powder


Heat about 1 tsp of OO in a large soup pot. Add onion, saute until soft. Add chicken. Cover with water. Allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through. Take chicken out and place on cutting board and let it cool a bit so you can debone it without melting the skin off your fingers. :)
While the chicken is chillin, add your carrots, celery and cilantro to the broth.
One your chicken is deboned, carefully place the pieces back in to pot. Add your salt , and season to taste. Allow to simmer for a while. i usually let it go for about 30 minutes, then add my potato chunks. Simmer until potato is cooked through then give it a taste. Add more seasonings if you so desire.
I fish out the celery stick and cilantro, as my kids dont like too many float-y bits in their soup.
I shred the chicken a bit more, while its still in the pot.
I serve with some white rice.

The twins love dipping spoonfuls of rice in the broth and eventually they end up dumping their bowl of rice in to the soup and eating it that way.
The kid size spoons dont have enough "scoop" so i ended giving them each a TBSP measuring spoon, and that works well.
Its a messy dish, for toddlers anyway...so be prepared for some spills. We usually do bathtime right after this dish which i serve for dinner only. Using a regular sized old towel or a couple of dish towels under their plates and on their laps helps to catch some of the spills too. MoeJoe and Woodrow take care of the rest until I can get to it. :)
Daisy loves the little carrots and potatoes and Sam is a big time broth and rice guy.
Sam says- Sou Sou! When he sees me scooping it intot eh bowls and Diasy chimes in with MMMMmmm! YUMMMmmy!
I wish Liam would get in to the soup too but its just not his thing right now. Hes more of a turkey bacon and veggie muffin for dinner kind of guy, which is just fine with us. :)

Love and light,

A

Pumpkin Zucchini Carrot Chocolate Chip Muffins.Yeah I went there. SO. GOOD. (gfcfsf!)

This is on of my favorite recipes for gluten free pumpkin carrot zucchini muffins (or bread)
I got the original recipe here, and then tweaked it to fit my needs.


3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup apple sauce
 1/2 cup simple syrup (melt sugar in hot water. you can also use honey or pure maple syrup but note that these two have very distinct flavors so it will change the taste of the recipe)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup Earth Balance Coconut Spread
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup peeled, shredded zucchini
1/2 cup peeled, shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins

(i put the zucchini, carrots and raisins in the food processor and shred everything super fine so the kids can even detect the veggies, also for Liams food/texture sensitivities)

1/2 cup Enjoy Life Gluten/Dairy free chocolate chips (toss these in a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of your flour before adding to batter, keeps them from sinking when baking)

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, apple sauce and simple sugar syrup. Add pumpkin, melted Earth Balance coconut spread, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, sifting flour.
Gradually add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and stir gently until just blended. (Some dry ingredients will still be visible – over stirring gives you dense muffins)
Gently stir in the zucchini, carrots ,raisins and chocolate chips (again, be easy)
Pour into muffin tins.I like to line mine with liners. Makes about 24 muffins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans.

SO. GOOD.

-A

Banana Berry Quick Bread Deliciousness (gfcf! or not!)

 There's something about fall that makes me want to bake all the time. We love quick breads in this family. I am a fan of any food i can sneak veggies in to so my kids will eat some and quick breads are good for that. like the chocolate zucchini bread i posted a while back. I also make pumpkin carrot zucchini muffins to die for, will be posting that one soon. Anyways, this one doesnt have any veggies in it (lol) but i had some bananas that were getting pretty brown and i didnt want to throw them away, so when you let your bananas get too ripe, make bread!

3 ripe bananas mashed
⅓ cup melted butter (i used earth balance coconut spread, so yum)
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1½ cup flour (i used Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour)
2 cups berries, I  always have frozen berries in my freezer it seems. Not a bad thing! I like to use them in smoothies or for pancakes. For this recipe I did a mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

I was unsure as to how to proceed with my frozen berries ....should i defrost.....can i leave frozen....so i put the question out over FB -land and a few of my lovely lady friends responded, unanimously advising to defrost. Too much moisture otherwise while baking. Makes sense! I defrosted my berries in the micro then softly patted them with a paper towel to drain any excess liquid (thanks for the tip Colie!)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
Add the flour, mix.
Add berries, mix.
Pour mixture into a greased and floured regular sized loaf pan.
Bake for about 1 hour.
Cool on a rack.
Remove from pan, slice and serve!

You know, i remembered just now that right before i put the pan in the oven i had sprinkled some sugar on top. My goal was to get a nice crust but it didnt quite turn out how i planned so dont try it. In the pic youll see the very top sort of raised up and this is why. Still tasted good though! 

Also, i was surprised it turned out so dark looking,but then i remembered when i mixed the berries in the batter i noticed it turning purple from the juices. I am sure if you used fresh berries and stirred gently that you would achieve a more golden color to your bread. Either way, it was yum. Super moist, and perfect with a cup of coffee. or if you're one of my birds...with a sippy of coconut/almond milk. :)

Nom!

A

Mommy stayed out too late last night Stir Fry (gfcf! or not!)

A few weekends ago i got to enjoy a ladies night out,
We drank too much, laughed a lot and stayed up way too late.
I had a blast!

The next day......not so much of a blast.

I was riding on about 2 1/2 hours of sleep and by the time i needed to start making dinner i had already used up my 2nd wind...3rd wind...4th wind.....you get the picture.

I needed to make something simple, and something that i could make utilizing what i had already in my fridge and pantry. Oh, and it needed to be gluten and dairy free of course, so the kiddos could nosh.

I had some chicken breasts that needed to be used. That along with fresh veggies, and some gluten free noodles, I managed to piece together a yummy stir fry.
After reading the label on the back of a packet of stir fry seasoning that i had in the pantry, I decided to season it myself.  (ingredients contained wheat, milk, soy , gluten and a list of other chemical craziness and non-food bad stuff)

I cooked my chicken separate from the veggies so as to get a proper saute on both and then mixed everything together with the cooked noodles.

1 package chicken breasts cut up into chunks
1/2 large onion diced
a couple cloves of garlic finely diced or smashed
salt
pepper
olive oil

1 large bunch of broccoli, cleaned and cut
a couple of carrots, sliced into thin little sticks
one large zucchini, chopped
More onion, about a 1/4 cup chopped.

1 box gluten/dairy and soy free noodles

Heat oil in a large pan. Cook up your chicken, 1/2 onion chopped and garlic making sure to season with salt and pepper to your liking until chicken is coked through and everything is nice and golden.

While the chicken is going, go ahead and saute your veggies and season to taste.

Boil your noodles to al dente.

When everything is done, combine in a big bowl and toss well.
Taste to make sure it doesnt need more salt, etc.

Pair with a side! I had a bunch of asparagus that i needed to use so i drizzled a little olive oil, sprinkled a little bit of kosher salt and some diced up garlic (one or two cloves, to your taste) threw it in the oven at about 375 degrees and roasted them up in about 10/15 minutes or so. Made a perfect side! I love asparagus and could totally have eaten the whole thing all by myself.

Daisy approved  :)

It was easy and delicious!
Plus I used up a bunch of stuff i had in the fridge that might have gotten thrown away anyways. Waste not! :)

Nom,

A

Chocolate cupcakes with coconutty vanilla frosting (gfcfsf!)

Ok I am gonna keep it really real. When it comes to Gluten free baking....I use box cake mix, most of the time. Its a beeotch gathering alllll the different flours you need to make a proper Gluten free cake or cupcakes. Any baking in general really. lol
One day i will master the art. And have the money to buy a million zillion different expensive flours to have on hand for any baking whimsy. But for now, I am content with all things boxed and ready to mix. Easy peasy fo sheasy.
My neasy.

We have found that our local walmart super center is now beginning to carry more and more gluten free options. Ad of course they are much cheaper than the norm!

I used Hodgson Mill Chocolate Cake mix, bought some cupcake liners and whipped these puppies up in about an hour.
I replaced regular dairy butter with coconut butter. Also i just used vanilla since i didnt have any almond extract handy. To make the dairy free buttermilk I followed this recipe, using white vinegar and coconut/almond milk.

For the frosting:
1 box Domino powdered sugar
1/2 cup Coconut Butter
3-4 TBS almond/coconut milk
1 tsp McCormick vanilla

Add the milk in slowly. Add more or less depending on your desired consistency.

Beat with a mixer.
Frost your cooled cupcakes.
Add sprinkles or fun topping.
Done. :)

Nomnomnom,

A

Jason's baked chicken wings

This is a a favorite around here for jason and I (and Clayton. And Jenny. And Chris. Ok,pretty much anyone who tries them loves them.)

I usually buy 4 small packs of wings or one of the big packs. (Kosher wings are the absolute yummiest wings to use but if you dont have a large Jewish community nearby, most likely your grocer wont carry them, so no worries)
You'll need one to two bottles of your fav wing sauce. ( emerils or texas pete are our favs ), some hot sauce for a little kick....and if you fancy a little MORE kick, some crushed red pepper.
Oh and don't forget 2 disposable aluminum pans.
Its real easy- distribute the wings evenly between the two pans. we usually make one a mild and one a hot. for the mild just douse the wings with the wing sauce, saving some sauce to add during the last 10-20 minutes of cooking (you dont need a whole lot). shake some hot sauce over them as well , to taste. for the hot, its best to mix the wing sauce, hot sauce and then sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes (to taste) in a bowl and mix it all up before pouring over the chicken (save some to add during the last 10-20 minutes of cooking as well). then just make sure the chicken wings are nice and saucy all over.
Stick both pans in a preheated 375 degree oven for approx 1 to 1.5 hours. you'll want to pull them out anywhere from 10-20 minutes before done to add a little more sauce, kicking up the temp to 400 for that last 10 or 15 minutes. Depends how your oven cooks and how crispy you like them.
That's it!
Deeeelicious!

Pair with some, celery and carrot sticks and your fav dipping sauce. We also like pairing ours with some mozzarella sticks or jalapeno poppers. Oh yeah.

Buen provecho!

A

Comfort food- Meatloaf and homemade mashed potatoes (gfcf)

I am always looking for ways to make yummy Gluten free recipes that our entire family can enjoy.
Liam is the only true blue GFCFSF guy but Sam and Daisy are pretty much almost there and jason and I are gfcfsf "light" just by default. My goal is always to make meals that we will alllll eat, instead of having to make 2 or 3 or even four meals because that gets annoying real quick (true story). :)

I came across a Gluten free recipe data base recently that i had sort of passed over before....and in it i found a ton of really awesome gfcf recipes!

Meatloaf is one of those tricky foods that is either delicious or its just turns out bleh. No in between really.
I had yet to find a meatloaf recipe that was both great tasting and GFCFSF.
A few things i have figured out with meatloaf: Dont make it too fancy. A TON OF INGREDIENTS DOES NOT EQUAL A GOOD LOAF. Keep it simple.
Its meat. Its a loaf.
Also, i have tried making it with different types of ground meats. Ground beef with a little ground pork seems to be the only way it turns out edible. Or just ground beef.  Ground chicken? Gag. Ground turkey? Bleh. No bueno.

Since we dont eat much beef or pork 'round these parts, this meal is like a little treat.
Buy organic and hormone free meat if you can. Free range. Hand fed. Deep tissue massaged. Facials and mud baths. Sung lullabies to sleep. All that. (lol)

I chose Meatloaf #2 .
I made my homemade mashed potatoes (gfcf version) to go with, and side of mixed veggies (from frozen, cooked on stove with some olive oil, salt and pepper).

Here is the recipe with my variations (you know how i roll)

2 lbs ground hamburger and ground pork, (I did 1lb of each)
3 eggs
1/2 cup ketchup (high fructose corn syrup free, preferably. We use Heinz/Simply Heinz.)
1 medium onion finely chopped (I mince mine super fine)
1/2 green bell pepper chopped (^same and i actually used zucchini because i had 3 and needed to use them)
1/2 cup GF bread crumbs (All i had in the moment, was some Rudi's Gluten Free sandwich bread in the freezer. I toasted it lightly and then put it through the food processor. Voia! Instant gfcfsf bread crumbs. You can buy some premade though, if you so like.)
2 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (I did not have any gfcf worschester sauce so i omitted this. You would be surprised at whats in your "normal" store bought marinades and sauces. Almost ALL contain soy, and wheat! Why? I don know.)
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder ( I was actually out of garlic powder so i used a couple of cloves of fresh garlic minced finely)
6 slices bacon (Although I had some Applegate Bacon in the freezer, i chose to omit it simply because i dont like defrosting my meats in the microwave. gross. next time though i will be sure to include the bacon. i mean, who doesn't like bacon?)
Another 1/4 cup ketchup

Mix meat, eggs, ketchup, onion, pepper, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper by hand. Place it in a pan (preferably on a rack so the grease will drain down) and shape it like a loaf.

(I greased a regular loaf pan and molded it in there, then turned the pan over and worked the meat out on to a rack which i placed on top of a lined cookie sheet) Spread more ketchup on top and lay bacon slices across covering the top. Bake at 375 degrees for an hour or until done.

This is how mine turned out (keep in mind i did not use the bacon):

I went ahead and helped myself to a little slice if you cant tell.....

Not too shabby, eh? :)

It actually turned out reallllly good. I can say this with certainty because:

1. The kids ate it

2. The husband ate it, AND asked for seconds.

Boom. 

Ok, now on to my favorite part of this meal, the mashed potatoes. Oh yeah.

Some people have a sweet tooth.
I have a mashed potato tooth.
Actually, I am a lover of all things potato.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner, if there is a potato involved, all the better.
Carb free diet? Not for this girl.

I have never really followed a set recipe for my mashed potatoes, i have always just sort of mashed and mixed everything together until it tasted just right. This time however, I made it GFCF. And it was delish!
Seriously...#coconutbutterforpresident #coconutoilforpresident.

6-8 yellow gold potatoes (that's what i had lying around, by all means use whatyagot. Russets are just as acceptable) peeled and quartered then cooked to tender in some salty water ( always add your potatoes to cold water and heat to boiling from there. Otherwise you get soggy potatoes and they can cook unevenly too.)
Once they are nice and tender (you dont want them over cooked because they can get sticky once mashed) throw them in to a big mixing bowl.
Add:
1/2 cup to 1 cup Earths Best Coconut Butter (Feel free to go all, Paula Deen up in this piece if you so desire!)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup (more or less depending how creamy you like them) unsweetened almond or coconut milk (not the vanilla flavored stuff!!)
salt and pepper to taste (potatoes take a lot of salt but take care not to over salt, its always best to have it a little bland than too salty. You can always add salt to individual portions later)
Sugar- yes sugar, DO IT. It gives the MP's a yummy flavor TRUST ME. (about  1/4 cup) add it slowly and taste as you mix.
Always taste as you cook/mix. (Unless its chicken. Please dont try taste testing chicken until its fully cooked. I dont know why felt the need to clarify that but i can only imagine....lol)
Mix and mash until its to a consitency you like. I like mine nice and whipped...Jason like some chunks of potato.....we meet somewhere in the middle.

Oh, yeahhhhhhhhh baby....this is total food porn for me (lol)

Last but not least we added another side of mixed veggies, no pic (my bad) but you can make any veggie you like! Eat your veggies! ;)

All in all i was really pleased and will definitely be making this again, and will be sure to include the bacon and Worcestershire sauce for the meatloaf next time around.

Oh and please keep in mind that you can totally make this with all gluten and dairy you want. Real breadcrumbs, dairy milk and butter...its your world!

Buen provecho!

Love and light, 

A

Oh, yeah...I had some extra meat mixture left over and decided to make some meatballs with it. YUM.

A bowl of mashed potatoes with a few meatballs on top and a sprinkle of diced onions, and shredded cheddar cheese.

 .....Waaaaaaaaaa?! Oh i said it. And ate it. 

;)

Gluten, Dairy and Soy free Recipes resource

There are many folks out there with food intolerance issues and allergies. Most go unknown and un-diagnosed for their entire life.

There are many health benefits to eating Gluten Free or GFCFSF.

In our household, Liam is completely GFCFSF. Sam and Daisy are Gluten free but like their mama, have a weakness for the cheese. ;) So, we allow it on occasion. And by default, daddy and I are GFCFSF "light", although I have the desire to go completely gluten free for the entire family.....at some point.
We also do our very best to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, and Artificial Colors and other Artificial Additives and fillers. We eat Organic as much as we can but have a ways to go in that department mainly because its bloody expensive! Having a veggie garden will help in that.

Here is an excellent recipe resource/database for cooking and baking GFCFSF:

TACA GFCFSF RECIPE DATABASE

Today i will be whipping up some GFCFSF Meatloaf! Post to follow. :)

A

Chocolate Zucchini Bread (yum!) ((gfcf))

I found this little gem of a recipe on the back of an obscure brand of gluten free all purpose flour mix that was on clearance. 

I love any kind of yummy bread that i can add a touch of healthy goodness to, like zucchini, or carrots or pumpkin or nuts.

This bread turned out very moist and had a lighter texture that you don't normally get from gfcf flours. And  it tasted really good.

Of course I tweaked it to meet our GFCFSF needs, replacing the use of regular oils, butters, choc chips and cocoa powder in this particular recipe. I also added a little more cinnamon. :)

3 eggs 

2 c. sugar
1 c. coconut oil

1 tsp gluten-free vanilla
2 Tbsp melted coconut butter 

6 Tbsp unsweetened pure cocoa (make sure its gfcfsf)
2 c. Gluten-free Pantry All-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 c. grated zucchini 
2/3 c. gfcfsf chocolate chip mixed with 2 tsp gluten free flour

1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine and mix well eggs, sugar, oil and gluten-free vanilla. Combine and mix melted butter and unsweetened cocoa to form a paste. Combine Gluten free flour, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Preheat oven to 350º and lightly oil 2 loaf pans. Combine egg mixture with cocoa. Mix well. Add flour mixture. Fold in grated zucchini, chocolate chips mixed with gluten free flour and nuts. Pour into loaf pans. Bake 60-70 minutes.

Mmmmmmmm.....

I enjoyed my slice with a nice hot cup of chai tea. 

ohsogood. 

Enjoy!

-A

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