Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Gluten Free Recipes

Erin, these are for you!  I was going through recipes that I'd torn out of "Everyday Food" magazines and came across these two.  This first one I actually made, and we all thought it was delicious (even Gigi) but I was pregnant with Bobo and for some reason the next day the very thought of it repulsed me and I haven't been able to make it again.  I think it was the feta.  Anyhoo, I found it online at MarthaStewart.com so here you go:

Chicken, Lemon and Dill with Orzo



Okay so these pictures are fuzzy.  Use higher resolution Martha!  I could have not posted the picture but I always need to see a picture of food to be interested, don't you?  I hate how cookbooks don't have photos of every recipe. 

Also this potato gratin I was thinking about for Thanksgiving (and the recipe is from the November 2009 issue - whaddaya know?) and it looks really yummy.

Potato Gratin


It has bacon so it must be good.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Peanut Butter-Nutella-Banana Smoothie



I made this smoothie on Saturday and it was so yummy AND healthy AND easy.  Even the Food Nazi approved.


Ingredients:
2 whole frozen bananas
1/2 cup milk
1 heaping tbsp peanut butter
1 heaping tbsp Nutella

I kind of hate it when you read a recipe and you can't make it right away.  But trust me, the frozen bananas are key.  You could add ice to make this thicker, but you really don't need to.  Frozen bananas have a great ice cream-like texture.  Also you HAVE to wait until they are super super ripe to freeze them.  As in they have a bunch of yucky brown spots on the outside.  But on the inside they should be fine and they will be really sweet so no extra sugar is required.


Slice frozen bananas.


Add to blender.


Add 1/2 cup milk.


Add 1 heaping tbsp peanut butter.  Yum.  I love peanut butter.


Add 1 heaping tbsp Nutella.


Blend/puree/liquefy until smooth and blended.


It is the consistency of a thick milkshake so I put it in a bowl for Bobo.


Glass for Gigi (who wouldn't drink it!)  But she did ask me to make it yesterday.  Guess she wasn't in the mood. 


ADub really liked it!


As did Bobo, but he didn't like how cold it made his hands!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Random Acts of Kindness

Happy Monday!  I just found this story through Pinterest, and it was so cool!


It's about a woman who celebrated her 38th birthday by performing 38 random acts of kindness.  She has a facebook page now for her organization.


Awesome that she included her kids in it.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Homemade Hot Pockets

This is a (fairly) quick and easy breakfast that is always a big hit in our household.  Homemade hot pockets.  Crescent rolls, ham, cheese.  Can't go wrong with that.


Line a cookie sheet with nonstick foil.


Unroll Crescent sheet (not the rolls, the whole sheet kind).  Preheat oven to whatever degree it suggests on the package.


Stretch it out a bit so it's even and in a good rectangle shape.


Like so.  It stretches easily.  You don't need a rolling pin.


Use a pastry wheel (mine is also called "a pizza cutter") to cut the dough in half lengthwise.


Then make three more cuts to separate into eight equal parts.




Voila.


Sprinkle cheese in four of your rectangles.  Cheddar or the mexican blend works best.  Try very hard not to get cheese on any of the edges.  If you do you won't be able to seal them.


Top the cheese with ham.  As much as you think you can get to fit.


Top ham with your other piece of dough.


Pinch together at seams.  Pinch well, because you don't want the cheese to come out.


Transfer to your cookie sheet.


Bake for about 10 minutes (follow package directions but check after 10 minutes), until golden brown.  See what I mean about the cheese???  Grrr.


Mmmmm.


Yummy.


Bedhead alert!  Everyone is a fan of these at our house.


They made A-Dub so happy he allowed me to put his picture on the blog.  Yes, he is eating it with a fork.  I know.  Party foul.


If it is bread-related, this one will eat it!

Sweet Potato Fries

I love sweet potato fries but whenever I've made them at home they're not nearly as good as the ones you get in a bag at store . . . but those don't ever make quite enough for us.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and I can't wait to try it!  Although I must admit that although you know I love mayonnaise, I am NOT a dipper of french fries in mayo.  Gross.

http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/guaranteed-crispy-sweet-potato-fries-sriracha-mayo-dip/

From their website:

Here’s what you need to do …
Gather your sweet potatoes.



Get some corn starch.


Also get some olive oil.


Cut your sweet potatoes until they’re a medium thickness.  Not hugely thick cut and not shoestring.  Preheat oven to 425°.


Throw a Tablespoon or two of cornstarch into a plastic bag.


Dump a handful of sweet potatoes into the bag with the cornstarch.  Twist the top of the bag so it forms a balloon with some air inside and shake the fries around until they’re lightly coated with the cornstarch.


Put your coated fries on a non stick cookie sheet.


Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over the fries.


Using your hands, make sure the fries are well coated.


Arrange them on the sheet again, so they have space between each fry.  The less fries on the pan the better they’ll cook.  Too many shoved together and they’ll never get crispy.  They’ll just steam.  Pop the fries into your preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.


Meanwhile you can make the dipping sauce.  Mix together 1/2 cup of mayonaise with 1 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce and 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper.
You can adjust the proportions to taste.  Mix it up and taste it then adjust as you like.


Check the fries after 15 minutes, flip them over (you might have to use a spatula depending on how “non stick” your pan is) and return to the oven if necessary for another 5 minutes.


If you prefer your fries, deep fried throw them in the deep fryer at the highest setting for a few minutes instead of sticking them in the oven.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Halloween

Oh boy, what a crazy week!  Halloween being on Monday was tough, because we had 2 parties on Saturday, our church's "Fall Festival" (a Halloween carnival) on Sunday night, the kids' school Halloween Walk-Around (they get in costume and go trick-or-treating at local businesses) on Monday morning and then finally our neighborhood Halloween carnival on Monday night.  Of course the kids' Halloween parties were on Monday afternoon so I was at work for approximately 3 hours.  Also of course, I signed up to make Halloween cookies a month ago and didn't really factor in when I was going to make them!  But I'm a woman of my word . . . and thanks to Flickr, I found some really cute cookies I wanted to make.


Okay so my witches look like frogs.  My witch cookie cutter needs a serious upgrade.


And I also did bats.  They were super easy.


We're still majorly into princesses and Gigi made a perfect Snow White.  Love that foot hanging in the background!  That's Bobo.  My friend at work suggested that I get Gigi a Halloween bucket shaped like an apple.  I loved that idea but couldn't find one anywhere so I made it.  I guess I'll save that blog post for next year when it's more relevant!


Bobo was a dwarf.  Non-specific, just dwarf.  People kept asking me if he was Shrek.  He wasn't happy about his hat.  I knew a beard wouldn't fly.


This was the best picture I got and it really annoys me that his hat wasn't styled cute!  It was super cute and my mom made it and the vest and belt.  Thank you Mom! 


I was in love with this guy's costume!  Wish I'd gotten a picture of him and his astronaut big brother.


These two were attached at the hip all night.


Love that these two brought the girl power!  Supergirl (in pink) is my goddaughter and she is as sweet as can be.  Her sister is Batgirl and she is so sassy!  She cracks me up.


Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween too!