Autumn Harvest Quinoa

Absolutely yummy, and very healthy too.  It's very easy to make and is very economical too.  Perfect for breakfast, a nice change from oatmeal.

I found the original recipe here and tweaked it quite a bit to make it work for us.  It gives you the option of making it in the crock pot too, which I didn't but will try sometime.  Here is my version:

1 C quinoa



1 C water

1 C apple juice/cider

pinch of salt

1 med apple, cored and diced

1 med pear, cored and diced

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t each of nutmeg and ginger

1/4 C each of honey and molasses

Combine quinoa, water, juice/cider, salt and spices and bring to a boil,  then reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.  Then add honey, molasses, apples and pears and continue to cook until all liquid is absorbed, approximately 5-10 minutes.  Sweeten with brown sugar to taste.  Makes 4 servings.

Make Your Own Greek Yogurt

I love greek yogurt, yummo!  However, it's kinda pricey as those of you that eat it know.  So I set off to make it myself.  Super easy!

 I took a strainer, lined it with a paper coffee filter and then spooned the yogurt inside.  Covered it with plastic wrap and then set the strainer in a smaller bowl.  Then it went in the fridge overnight.

This is the whey that drained off, and then you were left with perfect greek yogurt!  It's very thick and creamy.  However you could change the time in the fridge or just add back some of the strained off whey if it's too thick for your liking.  Then add sweetener and fruit, granola, etc.

Try it, once you see how easy it is you'll never buy it premade again! 

Click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing my recipe.

GFCF Homemade Cornbread

My two boys are eating a GFCF diet, both for different reasons. So last night for dinner while Hubby, daughter and I were enjoying biscuits with our stew the boys had cornbread instead.

It's really easy and uses ingredients that you will more than likely have on hand. It's a simple recipe too, you'll never guess where I got it from.

A few years back my Hubby went on a business trip to Memphis and brought back this magnet. At first I was like, "Geez...thanks honey." But then after I looked at the recipe, I said, "Wow, thanks honey!!" Perfect recipe for our boys. The only substitution I make is using rice milk instead of regular milk. I pour the batter into a greased 8"square pan and bake as directed.

Even if you don't have special dietary requirements, this is good cornbread. It's dense and not nearly as "cakey" as lots of cornbreads tend to be. Almost closer to a spoonbread actually. We don't serve ours the way the magnet suggests, but I bet it would be good that way!

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Cranberry Orange Cobbler

Made this for Thanksgiving this year, it's supremely yummy and really easy to make. It's also another way to use fresh cranberries, which I think are one of the unofficial fruits of Christmas. Want the recipe? Here it is!

Cranberry Orange Cobbler

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

3/4 C rough chopped walnuts

3/4 C packed brown sugar

zest from one medium orange

juice from half of a medium orange

1/3 C sour cream

1 C flour

1 t cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

3T white sugar

1 stick butter, melted

1 t vanilla or almond extract

Combine cranberries, walnuts, brown sugar and zest in a bowl. Spread over bottom of greased 10" pie plate. Combine eggs, orange juice, sour cream, extract and melted butter, mixing well. Add flour, white sugar and cinnamon, mix to incorporate evenly. Batter will be thick and slightly lumpy. Pour over berry mixture, spreading with spatula to cover top. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 50-55 minutes. Tastes best served warm. Cover and store in fridge.

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing the recipe, thanks!

Tips for Easier Batch Cooking

This past weekend I did some serious batch cooking. It was rainy and cold, perfect for staying inside and keeping the house warm by keeping the stove/oven in use. Kill two birds with one stone, kinda...

Anyway, I don't batch cook as much as I should. However the more I do it, the more I tend to pick up tricks that make it easier for me. And I figured if they worked for me, then maybe they'll work for you too. So here are some ideas for you to try, and a few recipes are included in case you want to try it out yourself.

First off, pull out everything that you'll need bEfOrEhAnD. This makes things so much easier. You won't be stopping every five minutes looking for something. And keep everything out until you are done, that way you put it all up at one time. I recommend using your kitchen table as your "prep" area.

**DISCLAIMER** Most of these pictures aren't good, in fact they mostly stink. My kitchen has lousy lighting, and since I abhor the flash feature on my camera you'll notice most of these pictures have bad lighting. However I think you'll still get the idea.


First off, baking. I made several things, all of which will freeze beautifully. Above are some "breakfast bars" as we call them. I got the original recipe from Quaker Oat's website awhile back but have tweaked it several times to what we now use. These are seriously yummy and very inexpensive and quick to make. You'll find the recipe at the bottom of the post. A tip on these, use nasty looking bananas. The blacker the better. I usually will buy those "day old" bananas and stick them in the freezer, completely whole and then thaw them when ready to make these. Try them, you'll not be disappointed.

This is a chocolate chip shortbread. I recently started making this, and it's seriously yummy. It uses a ToN of butter, as does any shortbread. However it's so delish it's worth the calories. Very easy as well, just a handful of ingredients. I'll include the recipe for this as well, check the bottom of my post.

A quick tip on the shortbread. You need to sift the flour bEfOrE measuring, which is unusual by today's standards. Use a sieve and shake your flour over waxed paper and then spoon it into your dry measure. Don't skip this step, it will effect your end result if you do.

GFCF chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. These are for my oldest that has to eat a special diet. I cheated and doctored up a plain GFCF cookie mix with oats and chocolate he can eat. These turned out great, he was a happy camper.

Cheddar cheese baking powder biscuits, very yummy and easy to make. I just took a standard baking powder biscuit recipe and added cheddar cheese, some italian seasoning and garlic powder. These will make AnY soup taste better.

Speaking of soup, I made a big pot of veggie soup. Very yummy and cheap. Use random left over bits of this and that to make this soup filling and varied. There is corn, cauliflower, green beans, kidney beans, onions, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and alphabet pasta swimming around in there. Also another tip, used boxed stock. Easy and tastes just as good, I usually use a low sodium brand and bump it up (try Pacific or Imagine brand).

A tip on using garlic. First off, use a LOT of it. You can't go wrong with garlic. Secondly DO NOT buy chopped garlic, it's nasty. Just buy a whole head and stick it in your cabinet. Peel several cloves at a time (I use the tried and true smashing it with a chefs knife trick) and then here's the awesome part. Don't mince it, but grate it! Easier and faster, I'll never mince garlic again. I have a microplane grater and it's lickity split fast, and no risk of boo boo fingers either.

I cooked up some white rice, and added a few cans of black beans and some frozen corn. I then seasoned with salt/pepper and some sauteed onions and garlic. Froze in quart size bags, perfect for taco/burrito filling or as a filler in a casserole.

A tip on sauteing onions. Chop up more than you think you'll need and then saute them in olive oil. The secret to good looking onions is almost overcooking them. You want lots of brown onions and lots of brown coating the bottom of your pan. That brown coating on the bottom of your pan is called "fond", it's a french term. That stuff is brown gold, it's not a burned on mess.

Deglaze your pan with stock or a bit of white wine and use it! I usually will saute my onions and then remove from the pan and deglaze it, then add the onions back and cook until the liquid is dissolved. I guarantee it'll take your onions to a whole new level. It's all about building layers of flavor, and this will definitely do that for you.

When I was finished I had quite a bit in the freezer. Three bags of "three cheese shells", four bags of the rice/bean mix, a bag of chicken sausage marinara and some cauliflower florets are all shown above. I also had a double batch of veggie soup, a double batch of cheese biscuits, a double batch chocolate chip shortbread, a batch of the breakfast bars and a batch of GFCF cookies. Not bad for half a days work I say!! Below are the recipes I promised. If you try something, let me know what you think.

Chocolate Scotch Shortbread

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 t salt (use 1/4 t if using salted butter)

2/3 C unsalted butter

1/2 C confectioners sugar

bag of chocolate chips (10-16 oz)

Melt butter in microwave, then add confectioners sugar and combine well. Add flour and salt, mix completely. Fold in chocolate chips and press into an ungreased 9" glass pie plate. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Sides will be browned well. Let cool completely before cutting, or it'll crumble on you.

Breakfast Bars

3/4 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C butter or margarine

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 2/3 C flour

1/2 C ground flax seed

2 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 C quick or rolled dry oats

5 large bananas, mashed

1/2 C raisins (if desired)

Cream butter/margarine, brown sugar and vanilla. Add egg and mashed bananas, combine well. Add remaining dry ingredients (except oats) and mix completely. Fold in the oats and raisins last. Drop by large spoonful onto greased cookie sheets and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Bottoms will be browned well when finished. Cool completely and store covered. Add some peanut butter on top for extra protein if desired.

GFCF Choc-o Crunchie Mix

So, in honor of the world series starting tonight I told my oldest I'd make him some kind of treat. I raided the pantry, this is what I came up with. It's got a few sneaky healthy things in there, although it's so sickingly sweet you'd be hard pressed to peg them.

Got the seal of approval from my 7,5 and 3 year old. Try it, I bet your kiddos will like it too. This would be perfect on top of ice cream, or a bit in a bowl covered with some milk for a crazy cereal dessert.

The ingredients are vegan chocolate chips, gf oatmeal, powdered sugar, rice cereal, ground flax seed and vanilla. You could play around with this. Like subbing rice crispy treats, or pretty much any cereal of your liking. It would be a great way to use up cereal crumbs too. We just used what we did because my oldest needs it to be gluten free and dairy free.

I used 1 bag of vegan chocolate chips (Sunspire brand), 3 C of rice cereal (Hain and Chex both make GF varieties), 1/2 C of rolled oats ( Bob's Red Mill GF oats), 1/4 C ground flax seed (Bob's Red Mill), 1/2 C powdered sugar and 1 t vanilla.

I melted the choc-o chips in the microwave. First off I did half power for 2 minutes, mixing after 1 minute. Then I did full power in 30 second intervals, mixing in between, twice. All the chips won't be melted and that's ok. Just take the bowl out anyway and stir, they will melt. You don't want to completely melt the chips in the microwave or you'll burn the chocolate.

I then added everything else and combined well. It ended up being really thick, so that the cereal crumbled up and didn't hold it's shape. That's why I recommend as an ice cream topping or as a cereal treat as the pieces are smaller and it would be messy to eat straight.

My kids shared a bowl, and they loved it. It's really simple and a great way to whip up something quick. It would also store well in the freezer to have on hand for a last minute treat.

Big Daddy-O BBQ Spice Rub

I'm sure as is the case with many households, Daddy is the official "BBQ-er" in our home. He loves to cook on the grill, which is nice for me in the summertime because I don't want to heat up the house! We like using spice rubs on meats and poultry, so I decided to make up a big batch and have the kids give it to Daddy for part of his Father's Day gift. I don't have an official "recipe" for this, as I am one of those annoying cooks that rarely uses one. I'll give you an idea of what we did, but you can definitely tweak this to fit your preferences!

I started with brown sugar as a base. I used a pound bag and just dumped it in a bowl. I purposefully made a big batch so that we'd be pretty set for the summer, this stuff keeps beautifully in a tightly zipped storage bag. And the beauty of it is because it's made of brown sugar, if air does get to it just put a hot dog or hamburger bun in the bag for a few hours and then it's good as new.


To the brown sugar I added onion and garlic powder, italian seasonings, seasoned salt, fresh cracked black pepper, cumin, a few red pepper flakes, some rosemary and some celery seed. I didn't measure, just dumped in and mixed until it smelled good. Whatever spices we liked the best (onion, garlic, italian seasonings, salt, pepper) I used the most and graduated the rest. I would say of the ones we liked the best I probably added 3-4T of each and the rest probably 2-3t. Like I said, add what you like though and make it your own. You know when your done because it'll smell heavenly!

To package it up I took one cup portions and put in a sandwich ziploc bag. I then put it in a cello bag and used a cute zip-tie (found them at the dollar tree) to cinch them closed. I then took cardstock and made tags. I found some "D" notepaper that I had (don't know why, no one had a name beginning with D in our house) and pasted it to the cardstock. I wrote "Happy Father's Day" on the tag, using the D from the notepaper as the "D" in day. Then the kids signed (or tried to anyway) their names.

To use the rub, just generously place on your meat or poultry 10-15 minutes before grilling is done. Just pull the item off the bbq, slather this stuff on and return to the grill. It makes for a yummy meal, I promise! Just don't put the rub on raw meat and grill as normal, because of the high sugar content the rub does burn quickly and it'll char your food if you leave it on for the entire cooking process.

Please click "Linky Parties I Love" on the right to see what parties I'll be sharing this fun, cheap and easy gift idea with.

My Little Laundry Helpers

So as most Mom's, I've tried my fair share of different laundry products. Sometimes I'm looking for inexpensive products, trying to get the most bang for my buck. Sometimes I'm looking for products that really get the job done. I wanted to share those "go to" products that I use that really get my laundry clean when normal washing doesn't. Meet my little friend, Zout. I've never had a friend who's name has begun with Z. Not many names out there that begin with Z. However, I am so so glad that I met my uniquely named friend Zout. He is a terrific friend. He gets out all sorts of stains that my normal laundry detergent doesn't get out sometimes. Like mud, grass stains, blood, chocolate, ink and grease stains. Oh how he eats up those grease stains. Even stains that have gone through the dryer. Yep, he eats those "set in" stains right up.

In all seriousness, this stuff really does work well. Someone introduced this to me after the birth of my first child, I've been hooked ever since. It gets out an amazing number of stains, and like I said it even works on things that have gone through the dryer. How many times have you pulled a shirt out of the dryer and a grease stain has magically appeared that wasn't there before? Squirt some of the Zout on it, let it sit 20 min or so and that stain will come out the next time you wash it. I've not had it work on a grease stain yet.

My second "go to" for laundry involves this stuff, Clorox 2. Again, when expecting my first child I was turned onto this stuff. I buy lots of baby clothing second hand. Some of it was a little on the dingy side and normal detergent wasn't getting it very clean. I was told about this concoction (by my lovely Momma) and have soaked many an item in it and it's really brightened the fabric and gotten out some old, set in and yellowed stains.

Here is the "recipe": Take 1/2C of Clorox 2 (it has to be this, no substitutions), 1/2C of cheapie automatic dishwasher detergent and dump it in a bucket. Place the clothing inside and fill the bucket with HOT water. Hot water is important, so make sure to just do like colored items to prevent bleeding. Mix it all up well and let it sit, the longer the better (overnight is best). Then dump the bucket, water and all in your machine and wash it on a small load with a small amount of regular detergent, again on hot. I'm telling you, this stuff if magic. Sometimes I'll have to repeat on really stubborn stains but I've only had a few items that this treatment didn't work on.

So those are my "go to's" for tough stains and dingy clothes. I'll share my "bang for my buck" products, including make your own detergent and the cheapest laundry detergent you can buy on another post!

Budget Botanical Baby Bum Balm

All three of my kiddos had super sensitive skin as babies. We went through lots and lots of Desitin, diaper rash abounded. I used cloth diapers pretty exclusively when they were really young, and while it helped they would still get bad diaper rash on a pretty consistent basis. On a whim, I bought a tube of Burt's Bee's diaper ointment. Miracle cream I tell you, it seriously worked like magic. No more diaper rash! But at $9 a tube, it was an expensive miracle and after several tubes I decided to try and make it myself.
So I read the label on the back of the tube to get an idea of what all was in it. Seemed like it was fairly easy stuff to get my hands on, a few things required a trip to the health foods store but not hard to find.

I bought tea tree oil, calendula oil, lavender oil, vitamin e and vitamin a capsules, jojoba oil and a few tubes of diaper cream. Yes, my initial investment was more expensive than just buying a tube of cream. But you use very small amounts of each, and all the essential oils (tea tree, calendula and lavender) have a myriad of other uses. Make sure you buy "essential" oils and not fragrance oils either, as fragrance oils are cheaper and not make for cosmetic use.

I took two tubes of diaper cream and placed it in a bowl. I bought the off brand at Target, get the highest percentage of zinc oxide you can, the higher the better. I added 4 drops of tea tree oil, 6 each of the calendula, lavender and jojoba oil and five capsules each of the vitamin a and e oil. Mixed it all together and put it in a large opaque container with a screw top lid. Make sure your container is opaque (not see through) as light can't hit the cream or it'll break down the components.

I would say my initial investments of the "ingredients" (not including the diaper cream) was probably $30-$40. However I have made countless batches of this cream and still have plenty left. You can use tea tree oil as an astringent, disinfectant, shampoo additive (for dandruff) among other things. Just be careful with tea tree oil and boys, because it mimics the estrogen hormone if used in excess and we don't want that with our little guys. I've used the lavender oil as an additive in cleaning solutions, lotions and just for aromatherapy. The calendula oil can be added to petroleum jelly and used as a boo boo cream among other things.

I'm telling you, if your kids suffer from diaper rash this stuff is a must. Also, if you or you family suffer from heat rash or chaffing this stuff works wonders too. It also makes an AWESOME and much appreciated shower gift.

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GFCF Peanut Butter "Dough"

This is a very kid friendly recipe. Peanut butter "dough". Super, super simple. Three ingredients. Peanut butter, honey and powdered milk or GFCF powdered milk replacement (I use this particular milk replacement, it's awesome!). Start with peanut butter, as much as you want to use. Then add honey and powdered milk/milk replacement to taste. Basically you want the consistency of playdough.

Sometimes I roll the dough into balls, sometimes I let the kids play with it and then eat it. Super good, healthy and no fuss. Sometimes we roll the balls in coconut or mini chocolate chips. We've stuck almonds in the middle before too. What can you do to yours? Wouldn't crushed pretzels be super yum?!?

Five Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Perfection

Ok...this is the real deal. Puff pastry, cream cheese, confectioners sugar, chocolate chips and peanut butter. Five of the best ingredients there are in my humble opinion, melded together into one perfect dessert. I made these last night, there are two left as of right now. They are that good. So easy to make, let me tell you how.

Take a 8 oz brick of softened cream cheese and add 1/2 C confectioners sugar and 1/2 C peanut butter (smooth or chunky) and blend well. If you using a "natural" type of peanut butter (no sugar added), I'd increase the confectioners sugar a bit. Spread mixture evenly over a sheet of premade puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farms brand). Make sure you use puff pastry NOT phillo dough. Leave about a 1/2" border around the puff pastry. Then sprinkle about 1/3 of a bag of chocolate chips over the top.

Starting at one end, roll up pastry dough making a "log". Cut it into twelve even pieces and arrange on a cookie sheet. Either spray your sheet, line it with parchment paper or use a Silpat. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 30-35 minutes, until tops are browned. Store in airtight bag or container.

These are so incredibly good. They kinda remind me of a Palmier. Flaky, sweet but not too over the top. If you try them, let me know what you think!

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Delicious Day Old Bread Casserole

Oh baby, this is good stuff. It's one of those recipes I love. Easy, cheap, simple and it uses up leftovers!! Oh, this is a goodie. Want the recipe?

Ok, before I divulge it you must know something about me. I'm not big into the whole "recipe" thing. I rarely if ever use them (unless it's a baked good or GFCF). I'm one of those, "pinch of this, dash of that" type cooks. Great for the fact that it usually brings out unique and varied foods, bad when you want to replicate them exactly. So below is the best guess I can give you for a "recipe" for this deliciousness. But if you want to tweak it a bit, be my guess. I would do it!

"Delicious Day Old Bread Casserole"

*this tastes best when allowed to rest overnight in the fridge before baking the next day*

3/4 loaf of stale bakery bread, cut into 1" cubes (Dutch Crunch is what I used. However you could use French, Wheat or whatever you have on hand)

2 packages of chopped spinach, thawed and drained completely

1 med/large white or yellow onion, medium mince

3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced finely

5 large eggs, beaten well

1 to 1 1/2 cups of milk (if your bread is extra stale I'd use the latter)

Celery salt, Italian seasonings, red pepper flake and black pepper to taste

1 whole container (32 oz) of plain yogurt (I used Mountain High, super good stuff)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I used the can kind...I know)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used a sharp white)

Ok, this is what I did. Saute the onion in a bit of oil until translucent, then add garlic and saute another few minutes. Add spinach, combine all well and saute for a few minutes more. Place sauteed mixture in a bowl to cool.

Take your cubed bread and place it in a greased 9x13 or 11x14 pan. Basically you want your pan nice and full, but not overflowing. Then take the cooled spinach mixture and place evenly over the bread. Then sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over everything.

Take the yogurt and add your desired amount of the seasonings mentioned above and combine well, then dump it evenly over the top of the spinach/Parmesan cheese. Then cover with the shredded cheese of your choice.

Combine the eggs and milk in a bowl then pour over the top. Take a spoon and "mix" it all up well, making sure the egg/milk gets incorporated into the rest of the ingredients. Cover it well, then put in the fridge overnight so that the bread can soak up everything really well.

To bake, tent with aluminum foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. When the casserole has set in the middle (stick a knife in the center, if it's clean it's set), remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the top is nice and brown.

Awesomeness....it's even better the next few days. It also freezes really well!!

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Grubbin' Gluten Free Pancakes

So, have you seen those yummy looking "holiday" pancakes they have at IHOP? Now, it's honestly been 5 years since I last ate at an IHOP. However, after seeing the "Pecan Pie" pancakes they currently have for a "limited time", I had to have them! So, today we went. Oh....my....word, they were delicious!

Anyways, oldest DS has a gluten and casein intolerance. So, you can imagine that his options at IHOP were pretty limited. He ate eggs, bacon, sausage and some country ham while he watched the rest of us scarf down yummy gluten filled pancakes. I promised him when we got home we'd some GF pancakes together. I haven't make them in awhile, so I didn't have a recipe handy. I did my trusty Google search and came across this one: http://www.celiac.com/articles/823/1/Easy-Pancakes-Gluten-Free/Page1.html

Looked really easy and I had everything on hand, so I went for it. This is how they turned out. Super yummy and easy to make, which is always a HUGE plus when cooking GF foods. I doubled the recipe and tweaked it a bit, adding 1t vanilla extract and 1t cinnamon. I also decreased the amount of water, only adding a total of 3/4 of a cup. Lastly I used rice milk instead of cow's.

As you can see, my daughter even liked them because she snuck a few bites out of one when I wasn't looking! DS was my "cooker helper" and we had a blast. I love spending special time with the kids one on one, wish I could do it more often but cherish the times when we do. I remember cooking with my "Nanny" in the kitchen, she really taught me the basics of cooking. I was about my DS age (he's six) and I really remember and cherish those memories. I look forward to making my own "kitchen" memories with my kids too.

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