Pie Crust


I am so disappointed in myself for not realizing this earlier. But WHO KNEW pie crust was sooooo easy to make?! If you knew you should have told me, haha. I always bought the Pillsbury pie crusts or the boxed ones you mix up. NEVER AGAIN. It's way too easy!

Here is 2 options:

2 cups flour
1t salt
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup water

~or~

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4t salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup ice water

Okay so just combine the flour and salt. Cut in your butter or shortening until its all mixed and crumbly. Stir in your H2O until it forms a ball. Divide in 2 balls, wrap in plastic wrap and throw those puppies into the fridge to sit for a few hours. THAT IS IT.


Here is the fun part. I revamped my pop-tart a bit cuz my sister-in-laws looked cooler when she made her gluten free version of her pop-tarts. SO roll that dough out and fill her up with some homemade Jam....BAM....best desert ever.

If you don't have jam laying around get creative. A few days ago I look our leftover pears and cut them up threw them in a pot with butter and cinnamon, I cooked them till they were a goopy goodness mess and fill the little tart with them. You can do the same with apples. Or berries! Anything really. I have even filled these little suckers up with scrambled eggs and cheese for a breakfast on the go. Fill them up with your favorite pizza toppings.

SKY IS THE LIMIT PEOPLE.


Gluten Free Chinese Lemon Chicken


4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3/4t salt
1/4t ground black pepper
1/2 cup + 2T cornstarch (you could also use arrowroot)
1 3/4 cup GF chicken broth
2 large egg yolks
2T canola oil
3T light brown sugar
3t ground ginger (I grated fresh ginger)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1t grated lemon zest
2t snipped dried or fresh chives


1. Pat chicken breast dry, pound slightly to tenderize and flatten to 1/4in thickness. Sprinkle with 1/2t of salt and pepper.
2. Medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/4 cup broth, and the egg yolks. Whisk until the batter is smooth. Dip each chicken breast in the batter.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 5-7 min per side, until brown. Remove chicken to a plate.
4. In the same skillet stir together remaining 2T of cornstarch, remaining 1/4t salt, the brown sugar, and ginger. Whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cup of broth. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens and comes to a complete boil. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest.
5. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with chives.


The first time I made this it was a little time consuming but once you get it down its not that hard. The lemon juice/zest could also be replaced with orange to make orange chicken. This is a tasty meal you don't want to miss out on, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Rainbow Jello


I have always had a strange obsession with Rainbow's so I made Rainbow Jello. Totally time consuming and hardly worth it, but it made my day so here it is:




I am sure you get the idea of how this is done but just get all the colors of Jello that you want. Make the first flavor and add a small amount to clear cups, allow to solidify. Then add the next color and so on. Seriously it takes like all day. Haha. I think I am the only one who truly appreciated it.

My Chigger


I just found these old pictures of my cat Chigger and it was sooooooooooooooo CUTE that I had to share.

Make your own Granola

Here is a super basic recipe for making Granola and it can easily be enhanced with your favorite ingredients. Have fun!


Dry
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut flakes (or any dried fruit)
1 cup sliced almonds (or any nuts you prefer)
1t cinnamon
1/4t salk

Liquid
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup canola oil
1t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray
Toss your dry ingredients in a large bowl

Combine liquid ingredients and stir until honey has dissolved. Pour over dry ingredients. Toss until mixed well. Mixture will be fairly wet.

Place Granola on prepared sheet and spread to a thin layer. Bake 15 min. then stir. Bake 15 more min. then stir again. Bake a last 10 min until granola has browned to your desire. Remove and let cool for 20 min.
If you haven't smelled fresh granola right out of the oven before you need to go make this just for the scent. I need a candle for this, it's so wonderful.



Hubby & Me


Our wedding verse was 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and after 2 1/2 year of marriage I have learned how hard it is to actually apply this verse to everyday life. Most of the time my husband is much better at it than I am. I wanted to share this verse with my blogging friends in hopes that it encourages you as it encourages me.








Minestrone


Okay so I have made these wonderful meatballs, now what do I do with them??

I have an idea!

MINESTRONE SOUP!

1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped potato
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2t dried minced onion or fresh chopped onion
1t Italian Seasoning
1/2t salt
1/2t garlic powder
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 can white beans
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped spinach or kale
1 lbs of meatballs (refer to the prior post for recipe)
1/2 cup macaroni
2T grated Parmesan cheese

1. Throw everything except pasta and cheese in your pot. Bring to boil on medium heat, reduce heat, simmer, covered, 15 to 20 min.
2. Add your pasta and summer until pasta is done. Garnish with cheese =)

Make your own meatballs

Normally I am NOT a meatball fan. They always taste funny to me, but these are delicious.

1 lbs ground turkey
1T dried minced onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
2T dried parsley
1/2t salt
1/2t ground black pepper
1/4t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4t garlic powder
1 1/2t dried basil
1/2t dried oregano
2T grated Romano cheese

1. Preheat to 350 line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper
2. Use hand to combine all ingredients, mix well. Shape your meatballs to the desired size.
3. Bake about 20 minutes, remove and let cool.




Chicken Tortilla Casserole


This dish requires Mexican Seasoning and because I have allergic reactions to most Taco/Mexican Seasonings I make my own. So here is a easy recipe if you would like to make your own seasoning.

2t salt
2t ground cumin
2t chili powder
2t ground coriander
2t onion powder
1t dried oregano
1/2t cane sugar
1/2t ground black pepper
1/4t chipotle chili powder




2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
1t Mexican seasoning
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/3 grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/3 grated cheddar cheese
10 tortillas
1/2 cup sliced pitted black olives
1/2 cup homemade guacamole
1/4 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven 400. Grease 2 pie plates.
2. In a bowl combine tomatoes, seasoning and 1/3 cup of the cilantro to make sauce. Stir in chicken. Mix cheese together in a separate bowl.
3. Place one tortilla in pie plate. Top with 1/4 cup of tomato mixture and 1/4 cup of cheese. Repeat this layer 3X. Top with 5th tortilla and sprinkle 1/3 cup of cheese on top. Repeat the process for the 2nd pie plate. Cover the plates with foil.
4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes till sauce is bubbly. Remove cut each casserole either in half or in fourths to serve. Garnish with black olives, guacamole, sour cream and remaining cilantro.

Our First Bird

I've never baked a chicken before (or any whole bird for that matter), it was a big accomplishment for me. I had to call my mom and ask her what to do with this thing, but it all worked out and we were proud of our little baked beauty.




Homemade Doughnut

This is my first time making donuts, believe me I am no expert. I ended up accidentally deep frying our oven mitt. My husband wanted me to make sure and share that with my blogging friends. I dropped in the boiling pot of oil and it was a disaster. But on to happier thoughts...

The doughnut.


So this was my first attempt, I just rolled up the dough licked the edges and stuck them together, probably not the most sanitary way of doing it but oh well. But the dough didn't cook all the way on the inside, so David pulled out a nifty little doughnut cutter which was especially cool because it meant one wonderful thing. DOUGHNUT HOLES. Which are my favorite.

So we cut up our dough dropped it in the bath of bubbly...and they puffed right up.

Beautiful.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 t yeast
1/4 t salt
1 t sugar
1/8 t baking soda
oil for frying

Directions:

Mix together dry ingredients. Slowly add the water to the dry mixture until dough forms. Knead well, then set aside. Cover with a thin damp towel for 1-2 hours.

When your dough has risen. Heat up your oil in a deep pan. Use a doughnut cutter or just roll out your dough into little rounds making sure it's not too thick because it won't cook in the center. Once your oil has heated up drop them in! Careful not to let the oil splash on you, it's not fun. After the dough turns slightly brown on the outside remove the doughnuts and set aside on a cooling rack. Make sure to put paper towels on your rack to soak up the oil.

These doughnut are tasty when they are fresh. I have found that they aren't that good the next day though. So make these when you have a lot of eaters because they are yummy, and will disappear quickly!


Frosting Options:

When they come straight out of the oil you can sprinkle powdered sugar on them or dip them in a bowl of powdered sugar.

~or~

If you wanna get really crazy try this:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 T butter
1 t vanilla
2-4 T milk or cream
(I used cream cheese)

Be creative! There are tons of good frosting recipes out there =)

Have fun!










Chicken Casserole


Pasta & Chicken

Fettuccine, spaghetti, Bow ties...or whatever Pasta you have laying around the house
2 cups of cooked chicken (or if you have turkey, you can use that.)

Sauce

1 cup milk
1 cup broth
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 t thyme
1 t celery salt
1 clove minced garlic (I am a garlic looover, so I put like 3)
1/4 t black pepper
2 T sweet rice flour stirred into 3 T water
(this is to thicken the sauce, if you don't have rice flour I am thinking you could probably use arrowroot or cornstarch)

Veggies

1 can sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup bell pepper
1 T dried parsley

(you can sub in a lot of different veggies here, for example I subbed carrots for the mushrooms. Use whatever left over veggies you have in the fridge.)

Topping

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 t dried parsley

1. Oven 375
2. 2 quart baking dish- Grease that baby up.
3. Scatter your uncooked pasta on the bottom of the dish, top it with your chicken/turkey
4. Medium saucepan- mix milk, broth, butter, 1/4 cup of cheese, thyme, celery salt, garlic, and pepper. Cook that saucey~sauce until its bubbly, then stir in your sweet rice flour mixture. Whisk~baby~whisk until it's thickened.
5. Pour half of sauce over chicken. Stir veggies into remaining sauce, then pour it over the chicken. Add the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on sauce, sprinkle your bread crumbs on top. Then add those yummy crunchy almonds to finish it off.
6. Stick her in the oven and bake for 30-35 min. When you pull out your casserole sprinkle the top with the parsley and serve that dish! Yum.



Easy Homemade Pop-tarts

Spread out your pie crust

Cut the circle in half then fold over the corners to get 4 equal pieces



Fill them with your favorite Jam


Press the edges together nice a tight so the Jam doesn't leak out, then poke some holes in the dough being careful not to go all the way through to the other side.


Once they are slightly brown on the edges pull them out and glaze them =) yummm

Glaze: About 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar add in a few DROPS of water.
Mix together till nice and pastey...then spread on your Pop-Tart!! Make sure not to put too much water because you don't want your glaze to be runny.

You could even add some sprinkles if you would like.

Check out my sister-in-laws Gluten Free version of this:

Looming


This is such a fun Project! Get a bunch of old T-Shirts....Cut them in stripes and weave them into a rug using a hula-hoop!


Go Check it out for detailed instructions.

Co-Pilot ~ Okra


On our long road trip from California to Wyoming our Kitty, Okra, was a good sport with all the long hours in the car. BUT this was so funny....she loved to be perched on top of David's head while he was driving. We have such a strange Kitty!!

Cloche


$25

Hooded Scarf

$25

Husband in the Kitchen, it's a Beautiful Thing.

Sugar Free Banana Muffins with Coconut Flour


Ingredience:

5 Eggs
2 Ripe Bananas
1 Tsp Arrowroot
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil~ Softened
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Vanilla

Directions:

1. Oven 400
2. Mix all ingredients together with a blender
3. If batter is too thick add a little milk, but don't let it get runny!
4. Scoop into your muffin tins
5. Bake for 13-18 min, make sure they are done inside.


Handmade Angry Birds


My Husband, David, LOVES Angry Birds so for Christmas I crocheted him one and then decided to sew him a pig to go along with it. He was pretty thrilled and now wants me to make the rest of the birds =) haha.

Gluten Free Lasagna


1/2 lbs Ground Turkey
2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 lbs Small-Curd Cottage Cheese
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Jar (26oz) Gluten Free Marinara or Spaghetti Sauce
9 Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles Uncooked


1. Cook the Turkey
2. Stir together 1/2 cup mozzarella, cottage cheese, eggs, and Parmesan.
3. Grease 7X11 Dish
4. Spread 1/2 cup of Marinara sauce on bottom
5. Lay 3 uncooked noodles down
6. Spread 1/3 of your meat down
7. 2/3 cup of the cottage cheese mixture goes on next
8. Add more sauce, sprinkle on the cheese. Layer 3 times
9. Cover dish with foil
10. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
11. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.


Enjoy!

Calories 555~ Fat 25g~ Protein 37g~ Carbs 43g~ Fiber 3g

"Gluten-Free Quick & Easy"