It Worked!!

 Our family loves treats as any family with little ones do, but when we had to change our eating habits a lot of our favorites weren't good for us anymore.  I have been playing around with the multiple ingredients that are required to match the texture and baking consistency of all purpose flour.  The thought came to me a few weeks ago though...can I make cookies with our gluten-free oats ground into flour????  I tried it today and it worked!  I won't say that it would work for all cookies, but we had success with our families favorite everyday cookies which was great.  I must say though that they are a bit more crumblier, but not enough to not make them and enjoy them!  They hold together quite well :)

Tips:

* If you aren't in need of a Gluten-Free Dairy-Free cookie then replace the four for all purpose and the Earth Balance for Butter!

Playing Catch-up

Life has been pretty busy as of late, but dinners have still been made.  Getting them up on the blog though is quite a different story!  Today I am trying to catch-up a bit though.  Enjoy!

 My husband enjoys a lot of flavor so I thought of him as I was mentally cooking this up.  The recipe is quite simple but the flavors are good.

 Tips:

* If you are a flavor seeker make two separate batches of the honey mustard sauce.  Use one for cooking and one for dipping the cooked pork chop into while eating.

 

 Tips:

* A tsp of cinnamon might be an added plus for your family.

* Use a hand mixer to combine all of the ingredients once they squash is cooked for a smoother puree. 

 Tips:

* If you don't have a loaf pan you can just form the meat loaf onto a sheet pan and skip the flipping step!  

* If you don't need your meat loaf to be GFCF I like to add 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce or 2-3 TBS BBQ Sauce to our meat loaf.

* Corn Flakes also work if you don't have oats that are Gluten-Free.  

Can Dinner Be This Easy & Kid Friendly

We are BIG sports fans!  I was trying to create an easy dinner yesterday that could be eaten while watching Thursday night football.  I wanted it to be healthy and appealing to my little ones.  Usually they love anything they can dip chips into so I created a dip based on the chicken and salsa dinner that I have posted before.  Using a crock pot is always a plus too! 

Tips:

* You can always use store bought salsa that you enjoy.

* Heat can always be added but it is hard to take away.  If your family isn't keen on spices maybe back off on the green chili or serve it on the side.

* Dips are usually thick, but if you want it to be looser add more sour cream or salsa.

Brussel Sprouts You Will Eat!!

 Most kids will always tell you that they don't like brussel sprouts, but not mine!!  Today my kids picked them out at the store.  Remember that everything is better with bacon :) 

Tips:

* Make sure that you are liberal when you are cutting the bottoms off of your sprouts.  The bitterness will come out so that the yummy taste will stay in!!

* Make sure that the bacon is crispy and that you don't drain the fat, unless you plan on adding it back in slowly as needed.  The sprouts will not be greasy!

A New Twist on an Old Favorite!

 As I was starting dinner the other night and I realized I didn't have enough rice for the fried rice...what to do?  I looked in the pantry and saw the Quinoa sitting on the shelf.  Could I?  Would it?  Oh YES you can and you should :)  Quinoa is a great grain full of protein.  If you follow this recipe not only will you create a more healthy fried rice, but a tasty one as well :)

Tips:

*  When using Quinoa make sure that you rinse it in cold water to get all the bitterness out.

* If you don't have Tamari use Soy Sauce!

* You can use frozen or fresh carrots and peas.

Enough for a Party!!

I was recently asked to create two cakes using apples and caramel for a luncheon.  The luncheon was being held after a funeral of a dearly beloved woman.  Her dearest family and friends would be eating and her favorite dessert was anything having to do with caramel.   

I was of course up to the challenge :)  After thinking over what I could do for a few days this is what I came up with. 

I decided to work around a play on pineapple upside down cake.  The idea of not using water for the batter came from wanting to have cinnamon and apples in the cake batter.  Using sour cream tends to keep cakes moist and I made these cakes the day before so I was needing them to stay yummy for such an important event!  Give it a try, I hope you and yours enjoy!!

Tips:

* Serve Hot or Cold

*Check the cake with the oven light before opening the door.  (The cake will sink in the middle!)

* Store in the fridge.