Monkey Bread:

We used to always have a thing called "Wake-up Rolls" for breakfast on Christmas morning. It's a lot like monkey bread. When we first went gluten-free, I tried to make Wake-up Rolls gluten-free, but it just didn't work. This year, I really wanted to try it, so I searched and searched, and came across a recipe that looked amazing, and sounded pretty good. I was nervous about it, though, because the ingredient list was long, the instructions were even longer and nothing was really going right for me while I was trying to make them. Thankfully, they turned out AMAZING!!! I was beyond impressed and excited with how they tasted and how they were surprisingly easy to make! Please try them! I would HIGHLY recommend that you read all the way down through the instructions before starting, just so you can be familiar with everything. It's really not hard at all and doesn't really take that much time either. I hope you try them and enjoy them as much as we did!

Dough:

2 & 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

3 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tblsp. Rapid Rise yeast

3 tblsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry)

1 tsp. baking powder

4 tblsp. butter

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup milk

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. cider vinegar

2 tblsp. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

The yummy gooeyness:

1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

1/2 cup raisins, optional

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 tblsp. maple syrup

2 tblsp. heavy cream

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. If you choose to use the pecans and/or raisins, place them into the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking dish (you could also use a greased bunt pan if you prefer). Set aside. Do not use a pan with a removable bottom, as the syrup would run through and make a huge mess.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all the dry ingredients from the "dough" list, until well combined. Set aside.
3. Put water and butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave just until the butter has melted. Remove from microwave and stir. Add milk, stir. Add egg, cider vinegar, oil and vanilla; whisk to combine.
4. With the stand mixer running (using the paddle attachment), pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrap down the bowl if you need to. Allow to mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon from the "gooey" ingredient list. 6. Form the dough into 3/4″ balls (I just used a cookie scoop) and roll them to coat them fully in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
7. Place sugar coated dough into the prepared pan, on top of the pecans/raisins. Be sure to not tightly pack the dough into the pan, allow gaps between the dough. Repeat until all of the dough has been formed, rolled in the cinnamon/sugar mixture & placed in the pan. If you have any cinnamon/sugar mixture left, sprinkle it over the top of the dough in the pan.
8. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup, salt & vanilla. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream. Pour mixture over the top of the dough.
9. Allow the dough to rise for 20-30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.
10. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until dough is no longer "doughy" when a ball of dough is pulled apart.
11. When you remove the Monkey Bread from the oven, allow to sit in the baking pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a serving dish or plate.
12. To do this, place the plate upside down on top of the baking pan, and (while wearing oven mitts, just in case), quickly turn the plate and baking pan upside down. Your Monkey Bread should release from the pan without a problem. If there are still pecans and syrup in the baking pan, use a spoon and spoon the mixture over the top of the Monkey Bread. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Mint Chocolate Brownies:

I love chocolate and mint together! And if you look through my blog index, you'll notice we like brownies around here, too!!!  

This recipe was actually supposed to be completely different, but I didn't have some of the ingredients that it called for, so I looked through the cabinets, made a few changes and came up with this! And I have to say that it turned out pretty good! I took it to a potluck dinner at our church, and only came home with four brownies! Someone told me they tasted like an Andes Mint! I don't know, but they were good! Perfect for the holidays too!

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Brownies:

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

1 & 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

3 - 4 tblsp. milk

3 cups powder sugar

1/2 tsp. mint extract

Green Food Coloring

 

Glaze:

2 & 1/4 cups chocolate chips

2 tblsp. butter

 

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and vanilla with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Spread evenly into a greased baking sheet with sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat together milk and butter until combined. Add powder sugar and mix until well combined. Add more milk if needed, 1 tsp. at a time, until you reach desired consistency. Add the extract and food coloring, one drop of coloring at a time, until you reach the color you want. I think I used about 5 drops. Place in a Ziploc bag.* Cut the tip one side on the bottom, and pipe onto the brownies. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Freeze until firm.

Heat chocolate and butter in a microwave safe dish. Heat for 30 seconds; stir. Heat an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring thoroughly after each time, until completely melted. Pour over the frosting on the brownies and spread evenly. Cut into serving size pieces and serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge or just leave out at room temperature. Enjoy!

 

Note:

-I put the frosting in a bag and pipe it over the top, because sometimes when you just plop the frosting on and try to spread it around, it tears up the brownies a little bit and I don't like brownie crumbs in the frosting!

-I guess you could use any food coloring you want or none at all, but green says "mint" to me, so that's what I chose.

 

 



Slow-cooker BBQ Pork:

Like I've said before, I'm not a huge pork fan. However, I'm beginning to realize that it just depends on how it's cooked. Pork, done the right way with the right things can be amazing! My whole family really enjoyed this and I hope you give it a try!

 

 

 

4 & 1/2 lb. boneless pork tenderloin/roast

3 & 1/2 cups apple juice, divided

28 oz. bottled BBQ Sauce

 

Place pork roast in a slow-cooker, and add 3 cups apple juice. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender and it shreds easily with a fork. Drain all liquid from the slow-cooker and shred the meat with two forks. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup apple juice and as much BBQ sauce as you want. We used about 7/8 of the bottle, but it's pretty much just to your tastes.

You can serve immediately or leave it in the slow-cooker on the warm setting until you're ready to serve it. Serve as is or on buns!

 

 

Note:

-Obviously, this makes a lot of meat, so depending on how much you need,

you may want to cut the recipe in half.

-Click HERE to find out where you can get some fabulous, gluten-free buns!!!

- You can use any BBQ sauce you want. Our favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's.

 

 

 

 

Pizza Bake:

This is such a simple, easy dish. Very fast, but very yummy!

I hope you try it out!!

 

 

1 (12 oz.) box rotini pasta

1 (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce

3/4 cup quartered pepperoni slices

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Additional pepperoni slices

 

Cook pasta according to package directions, just until almost done; drain and place in a large bowl. Add sauce and quartered pepperoni slices and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and top with additional pepperoni slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve!

 

Sausage Gravy & Biscuits:

I love sausage gravy!! Which is weird, because I don't care much for sausage or gravy, but put them together and it's one of my favorite breakfast foods! And the rest of my family loves it too! Breakfast or dinner, for that matter!

My mom used to always make it, and although she is all about recipes and exact measurements, there was no recipe for Sausage gravy. You never knew how much it was going to make, because you just kept adding a little of this and a little of that until "it felt right"!!! And of course it tasted great, but only if she made it!

So finally, after many attempts, I think we have it down to a science now and I'm so excited to share this quick and easy recipe with you!! I hope you give it a try!!

 

 

2 lbs. ground sausage

8 cups milk

2/3 cup cornstarch

1 cup cold water

Hot Biscuits (click here for my recipe)

 

In a large skillet or saucepan, brown sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add milk and cook and stir over medium-high heat until milk almost reaches a boil. In a small glass, mix together cornstarch and water until well combined. When milk is very hot, but not yet boiling, reduce heat to low and slowly add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened. Serve over biscuits!

 

Note:

-This is the amount I make for my family, so you may want to adjust the recipe to accommodate the number of people you are serving.

-I really like to use Turkey Sausage....it's a little more expensive, but much better for you. You can use whatever you like, though. It doesn't actually matter.

 

 

 

 

Frozen Hot Chocolate:

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

Psalm 100:4

 

I love Thanksgiving, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

In honor of Thanksgiving, here is a bonus recipe this week. I hope you enjoy it!

It might sound kind of strange, but it's really good!! Cold, yes, but good!!!

I loved it and if you like hot chocolate, I think you will enjoy it too!

It has such an unexpected taste and it's just so yummy!

I hope you give it a try!

 

 

For approximately 3 servings:

3 cups ice cubes

1/2 cup hot chocolate mix

1 & 1/2 tblsp. sugar

1 & 1/2 cups milk

Whipped topping, optional

 

For a single serving:

1 cup ice cubes

3 tblsp. hot chocolate mix

1 & 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup milk

Whipped topping, optional

 

Place all ingredients, except whipped topping, in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into serving glasses and top with whipped topping, if desired.

Serve!

 

Cranberry Jello Salad:

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I wanted to share a "festive" recipe with you!

One of my #1 favorite foods is cranberries - particularly cranberry sauce! I could easily eat a whole can by myself and be perfectly fine with that. And pretty much the rest of my family is fine with that too, because there's only a couple of us who like cranberry things. A friend gave me this recipe a few years ago and I just loved it! I couldn't believe how easy it was and how pretty it looked! I hope you give it a try! Even if you don't like cranberries, because the people in my family who HATE cranberries, love this dish!!!

1 can cranberry sauce, can be smooth or whole berry sauce

2 pks. strawberry gelatin

2 cups boiling water

In a blender or with an emersion blender, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add cranberry sauce and blend until smooth. Pour into a serving dish or bowl. Chill for at least 8 hours - the longer the better. There will be a foamy pink layer on top of the gelatin, as you can tell from the picture; it just does this on it's own some how, but it's very yummy and it looks pretty!!

Note:

-You could use raspberry or cranberry gelatin, if you prefer....they are just harder to find sometimes!
-This bad part about this, is it really does take forever to chill. I try to allow 8 hours at the very least.  

Pecan Pie Muffins:

I love Pecan Pie and I love muffins, so having them together is awesome!!

I was actually a little worried about trying them, because it seemed to good to be true!!

I mean, something so easy, couldn't possibly turn out good.

Thankfully, I was very wrong and my whole family loved them!

Wouldn't they be perfect for a quick and easy breakfast on Thanksgiving morning?

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup applesauce (preferably unsweetened)

1 & 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, applesauce and sugar with a hand mixer until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir in salt, flour and xanthan gum. Mix just until combined and add pecans. Fill paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full (I use an ice cream scoop). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in muffin tins for 5 minutes before removing. Serve!!!

Note:

-This made approximately 16 muffins

Baked Tacos:

When I was little, there were very few things that I didn't like to eat. I can actually only think of two things - sweet potatoes and tacos. I have no clue why!! My older sister was my idol, and if she liked it, I ate it! I even ate things I didn't like, just because she ate them! Really, it was a good thing, because it made me try new things and not be a picky eater. But tacos, that just wasn't happening, no matter how much I wanted to be like my sister!! Fast forward a few years, and I have no clue what changed or how, but tacos are one of my favorite foods ever! I could eat taco salad every single day and be fine with that! However, some members of my family (who all like tacos), get tired of taco salad! Like, REALLY tired! I don't understand, but they tell me it's possible!! So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to give it a try and I'm so glad I did! They turned out so good and were a really fun change of pace and my whole family loved them! The melted cheese helped the meat stay in, and baking the shells for a few minutes, made them slightly soft so they didn't crumble to pieces! 

I hope you try them out!

 

           

2 lbs. ground beef

2 packages taco seasoning + water called for  (see note)

18 hard taco shells (see note)

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Shredded lettuce

Diced onion

Diced tomato

Salsa

Sour Cream

Ranch Dressing

(Whatever you like to put on a taco)

 

In a large skillet, brown beef until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Fill taco shells with a couple tablespoons of the meat mixture (not too full, because you want to have room for other toppings). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and place on a cookie sheet, kind of overlapping, if you can tell from the picture above. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and meat is hot through.

Serve with your favorite taco toppings!!

 

Note:

-This makes 18 tacos, which is what I made for my family, so you may what to adjust the recipe if you are cooking for a smaller or larger group.

-Make sure to check your taco seasoning, if you want it to be gluten-free! Lots of mixes have wheat/gluten in them. Our favorite is McCormick's taco seasoning. We buy it in a huge container at Sam's Club.

 

-Check your taco shells for hidden wheat/gluten as well. Here's the ones we liked:

 

-Recipe adapted from: SixSistersStuff.com

-For the record, I still don't like Sweet Potatoes! Unless it's sweet potato casserole, and with all the other stuff in there, I'm pretty sure it doesn't count!!

 

Another Pasta:

 

We tried yet another pasta! You might get tired of hearing about all the pasta we try, but I always like to share about things that we really enjoyed! You know, gluten-free things are kind of hard to find in ordinary stores, at ordinary prices that taste extraordinary! Anyways!

We actually found this at Walmart! We were pretty excited, because our Walmart doesn't tend to carry gluten-free items.

We hadn't tried this brand before, so we were of course a little nervous, because we have had some not so great tasting things!!

But, I think it actually might be my new favorite! We tried the Elbow Macaroni for Mac 'n cheese, and it was fabulous! Not too thin, not too thick and it kept it's shape really well. Plus it was perfectly cooked in exactly 7 minutes, so that was pretty cool in it self!

You can probably find this at other grocery stores too, but Walmart is the only place I have noticed it so far.  

So I hope if you are still looking for that perfect gluten-free pasta, you will give this a try!

I'd love to hear what you think about it!!

 

Muffles:

 

I have seen a lot of things on Pinterest lately,

that are made in a waffle iron, and muffins is one of them. 

I love waffles. I love muffins.

So naturally, I LOVED this Muffle (muffin + waffle = Muffle)!!!!

My favorite part of a muffin, is the top. On a good muffin, the top is soft and fluffy inside, and slightly crisp on the outside.

The whole entire Muffle tastes like one big muffin top!!! So yummy!

I hope you give them a try!! I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised!

 

 

 

Start, by mixing up your favorite muffin batter,

just like you would if you were making regular muffins.

Preheat your waffle iron.

Spray with cooking spray, and use the muffin batter just as you would waffle batter. Cook as long as you do your waffles (takes mine about 5 minutes, but it varies from one waffle maker to another) or until dark, golden brown and slightly crisp.

Serve with butter!

 

Notes:

-I used my Blueberry Yogurt Muffin recipe for the Muffles in the photo.

-Play around with different muffin recipes!

-Mix up your muffin batter the night before. Then it's ready the next morning and all you have to do is wait the 3-5 minutes it takes in the waffle iron for a nice, hot muffle!!! Way faster than baking in the oven!!

 

 

Butterfinger Bites:

Butterfingers and Almond Joys are my FAVORITE candy bar!!
I've gotten a Butterfinger Blizzard at Dairy Queen, 9 out the 10 times I've been there!!
I've never been much into making candy, because normally it takes forever and way too much work!
But when I saw this recipe, I knew we had to try it! It was unbelievable!! So good and so easy!
The picture is terrible and doesn't do them any amount of justice!
I've not actually had a chance to make them, but my sister, Kaitlyn (who likes Butterfingers more than I do) has made them several times now, so I will let her tell you how to do it!
I hope you give them a try!!

 

 

 

3 cups candy corn

2 cups peanut butter

1 &1/2 cups chocolate chips

In a medium sauce pan, melt the candy corn on a medium-low heat. Make sure to stir the entire time to prevent as much sticking. Turn off the heat and stir in Peanut Butter until completely melted.
Pour mixture into an 8x8 dish lined with wax paper and put into the refrigerator or freezer until firm.
Remove from pan and cut into what ever size you want!
(Tip - don't use a sawing motion while cutting, just go straight down or the candy will be very crumbly).
Put pieces back into the fridge for a few minutes.
In a glass dish, put chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir, put back in for 15 seconds and keep stirring every 15 seconds until just melted.
Dip pieces of candy in chocolate and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
Allow chocolate to set in the fridge and Enjoy!!

By: Kaitlyn

 

 Note:

-Make sure to buy up some extra candy corn and store in the freezer,
so you can make these any time you want.

 

 

 

Teriyaki Stir-Fry:

We used to live right at the bottom of the hill from one set of my grandparents. We went up there all the time, but there were two special times we went - when grandma made Buckwheat Cakes or when granddaddy made stir-fry! Oh my, they were both SO good!! And of course, neither one of those recipes was ever written down. Mainly because they didn't even use recipes themselves!

 

This stir-fry definitely doesn't even come close to granddaddy's stir-fry, but it still tastes pretty amazing......and just reminds me of grandma and granddaddy's house!!

I hope you give the recipe a try!

 

 

 

1 & 1/2 tblsp. olive oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tblsp. ketchup

3/4 cup honey

1 & 1/2 tblsp. minced garlic

dash of pepper

1 & 1/2 (16 oz.) bags stir-fry vegetables

3 cubed, cooked chicken breasts

Hot cooked rice

 

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic and pepper. Place vegetables and chicken in a large skillet with 1/2 cup water. Cook and stir until vegetables are heated through. Add sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil, and cook and stir for about 3-5 minutes or until sauce becomes slightly thickened and caramelized. Serve over hot rice!

 

Frozen Grapes:

This may sound crazy to you, and I feel a little funny even sharing it, but they are just SO, SO good! I would take these over almost any treat or snack and I could eat a whole bag of grapes by my self, if they are frozen! Now, I like grapes, anyways, but even some of my family who aren't crazy about them, will eat them like this. 

 

 

They're so refreshing and well, cold, of course!!!!

 

Here's the complicated recipe ingredients and instructions.

I'll try to explain it in detail, so you don't get confused.

 

Ingredients:

Grapes (seedless)

 

Directions:

1. Remove grapes from stems and wash thoroughly.

2. Place on a tray or plate and place in the freezer.

3. When they are completely frozen, remove from tray store in a zip-lock bag or a container.

4. Keep frozen until ready to eat.

 

 

Note:

-You can use any kind of grapes. I recommend only seedless ones, because once they're frozen, there is no way to get the seed out, and you definitely don't want someone choking on a grape seed!

-Kids really like these, but it's sometimes hard for them to eat a whole one, since they are hard, so I usually cut them in half or quarters.

 

I hope you give you them a try!

Leave me a comment to let me know what you think!

 

Pumpkin Donut Muffins:

 

These are SO good and perfect for fall! They only have a very subtle pumpkin flavor, but they are so fluffy and moist on the inside. I love muffins, but these are definitely my new favorite! 

I hope you give them a try....with your favorite soup, for breakfast, a snack....whenever!

 

 

 

1 & 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup canned, pumpkin pie filling

1/2 cup milk

 

Coating:

3 tblsp. butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 tblsp. cinnamon

 

In a large bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk. Add to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Using a 1-inch cookie baller, place one scoop in each cup of a well greased, mini-muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops of the muffins begin to get crispy. This is pretty important. You basically want to over-bake these, so they are a tad crunchy on the outside.  

Remove to wire rack to cool completely.





Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Lightly, dip each muffin in melted butter and roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on wax paper to cool completely. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

Note:

-These even taste good re-heated in the microwave for a few seconds.

-Recipe adapted from: Six Sisters Stuff

 

Mixes:

I mix up our gluten-free flour mixture about once a month.

It takes about 30 minutes, and then it's done.

When I do this, I like to pre-measure mixes for things we use often or make on a regular basis. It saves a lot of time later and works great if your in a hurry - you can pull out your mix and get to work! And even if you're not gluten-free, you could still easily do this. There's tons of mixes you can buy, but they can add up in price - especially if you're gluten-free, if you can even find them and even if you can find them, chances are you can't choke them down!!

 

 

Some things we use regularly are:

-Pancakes

-Waffles

-Pizza

-Brownies

-Certain kinds of muffins

-Cakes and cookies

You can do just about anything you want!

 

I have used containers for this and I've used Zip-lock bags as well. I prefer the bags, just because they don't take up much space, but the containers work great too, and you can re-use them.

 

I just measure out the dry ingredient portion of the recipe and put it in the bag.

I mark on the bag what the mix is for and if it's for a double batch, I mark that as well.

Depending on the recipe, you could write the rest of the ingredients on the bag/container, if you wanted or staple the recipe to the bag or something. This is also good if someone else could end up making them, that way they know exactly what to do and don't have to go hunting for the recipe!

 

I hope you take a few minutes to make life a little easier, and go make some mixes!!

Marshmallow Brownies:

I love Mallow Cups and these tasted very similar to those! I think they were best the next day, after they had chilled. They are an awesome treat and I hope you try them out!

 

Brownies:

2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

2/3 cup baking cocoa

4 eggs

1 & 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. xanthan gum (omit if not making gluten-free)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 (10 oz.) bag mini marshmallows

Chocolate Frosting:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tblsp. cocoa

3 cups powder sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil and cocoa. Add eggs, one at a time mixing well after each. Add flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Pour into a greased 10x15-inch baking pan and spread out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and top with marshmallows. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes or until marshmallows are soft and puffy (make sure to watch closely or they will get huge and burn!). Allow to cool completely and then mix up the frosting: Mix all frosting ingredients with a hand mixer. Add more milk, if needed until you reach desired consistency. Spread evenly over marshmallows and chill until ready to serve!

Note:

-These are pretty rich, I suggest cutting them small!!!!

-You can use large marshmallows cut in quarters if you don't have any mini ones.

Eggs a la Goldenrod:

When I first saw this recipe, I thought it was interesting. I didn't think it sounded necessarily bad, but I didn't really expect to be trying it any time soon either (I have no clue where the name came from!)

 

Tonight, around 5:30 or so, I realized that we were missing a few key ingredients for what I had planned to make for dinner (it's a good thing I picked up on this early in the day, right?!)!! 

So, I needed to come up with something quick, and someone shouted out that waffles sounded good. They did sound good, but we had nothing to put with them that would make them a little more "dinner" worthy or healthy, if that's possible!! 

This recipe instantly came to mind (not necessarily for "health"), so I decided to give it a try.

When people started realizing what I was doing, they weren't impressed!

But after trying one bite, everyone loved it!! I was so shocked!!

It's so different, yet so yummy!!

I hope you take a few minutes and try it for yourself!

Let me know what you think!!

 

 

 

8 hard-boiled eggs

6 tblsp. butter

1/2 tsp. onion powder

4 tblsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 cups milk

 

Separate the yolk from the white of all the eggs. Lightly chop the whites and set aside. Place the yolks in a bowl, and using a fork, mash the yolks. They will just be basically crumbly. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Combine onion powder, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Whisk into melted butter and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk, and whisk until mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Cook and stir until desired consistency is reached (we like it not too thin, not too thick, but you can make it however you prefer. The longer you cook it, the thicker it gets).

Stir the whites of the eggs into the sauce.

To serve, spoon the sauce over toast, biscuits or waffles. Sprinkle with some of the egg yolks!

 

Note:

-This would probably be good with some cooked, crumbled sausage in the sauce as well.

-As you can see from the picture, my dad sprinkled bacon-bits on his and said it was good.

-We served it over waffles (click here for the recipe), but the original recipe served it over toast.

-Recipe adapted from SixSistersStuff.com

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins:

These taste just like a peanut butter and banana sandwich!! I was afraid they would be dry and heavy, but they were surprisingly most and spongy! Definitely a great switch up from regular banana muffins!

2 cups flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tblsp. baking powder (yes, that's tablespoon!)

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth it's up to you

2 tblsp. vegetable oil

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3 ripe bananas

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, brown sugar

baking powder and salt. 

Place bananas in a separate bowl, and beat with a hand mixer until thoroughly mashed. Add peanut butter, oil, eggs and milk and mix until well combined. Pour into dry ingredients, and mix just until combined. Fill paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in tins for 5 minutes. Serve or transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Note:

-You can use a whisk, fork or stand mixer to mash the bananas and combine with the remaining ingredients. I just used a hand mixer and that worked fine. It is a fairly thick consistency.

-Chocolate chips or peanut butter chips would probably be very good in these!!

Baked Corn on the Cob with Honey Butter:

Where I live, "knee-high by the 4th of July" does not represent our corn!!

Its late August, beginning of September till we are enjoying any corn on the cob around here!

There is really lots of ways to cook corn - we usually steam it, but we've also tried grilling it.

Corn roasts are also big around here, and to be honest, that's the best way to have corn!! Of course, it also involves the most work!!

I had been seeing recipes floating around the Internet for baking corn on the cob and decided to give it a try. Am I ever glad I did! Talk about easy and delicious!!! We made it twice in one week! It's a cross between steaming it and roasting it. Super yummy!!

 

And you can't have corn on the cob without butter! Make sure you try out the super easy recipe for Honey Butter! It's SO yummy on the corn (and would be good on lots of other things too!) 

I hope you give these two recipes a try!!

 

Honey butter

 

1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup honey

 

In a small bowl, beat together butter and honey with a hand mixer until well combined and light and fluffy. Place in a serving dish. Refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Baked Corn on the Cob

 

 

 

There is no ingredient list for the corn, except as many ears of corn as you want!

 

Leaving the husks on, pull or cut off the brown, fuzzy, silky part at the top of the ear of corn. Make sure you don't cut farther down than just the brown part, because you don't want the corn to be exposed - it needs to be thoroughly wrapped in the husks.

 

Place the corn right on the racks in your oven. If you have a convection oven, you can place corn on all three racks and it should get done evenly. If you do not have a convection oven, placing corn on all three racks, may result in the top rack getting done, and the other two racks needing more time.

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven to a serving plate with oven mitts, and/or tongs. To test for doneness, VERY carefully pull the husks down and if a fork goes into the kernels of corn easily, it's done.

 

Serve!!

 

Note:

-Be VERY cautious while pulling away the husks after baking. There is steam trapped inside, and it can burn you, if you don't open it carefully!   

NutriBullet:

You may have seen these advertised on TV, in magazines or seen them in stores.
You can click HERE to go directly to the NutriBullet web page and learn all about them.

Before I get into this too far, I just want to say that I'm not trying to sell them and I'm not getting any compensation for writing this post about them either!

I had not heard of them before my Aunt bought one for us a few months ago. It's like a juicer and a blender combined. You can use it for lots of things, but right now, we are using ours mainly for smoothies. Smoothies are a big thing right now, and they are a great, easy way to get in a lot of fruits and veggies that you might not other wise eat!
With the NutriBullet, you can totally customize your smoothie to your preference. You can use just about any fruit and any vegetable, seeds, nuts, protein powders, etc., and the ratio is again, up to you.

I prefer a pretty simple smoothie - 50% vegetable/50% fruit. I use spinach, strawberries, bananas and a small amount of water. I also prefer that my strawberries are frozen and that my bananas are not! The frozen fruit makes it cold and frothy without making it watery. The fresh bananas makes it creamy. According to the book, they say to add water to the max line, but that makes it pretty runny and I like it to be more milkshake consistency, so I usually only add about an inch of water. Again, my preference. Everyone in my family makes theirs a little different!

(normally, I like have more spinach and less fruit, but we were running out of spinach!)

My aunt adds in Greek yogurt, milk, chai seeds and fruit juices.
The list is really endless! You just put in everything you like, and blend it all together to a smooth, creamy texture! There is books with recipes and you can go to the website for recipes as well. You can also just use the recipes for ideas as to what kind of fruits and vegetable to do together, and adjust the amounts to your preference.

So, if you have one, I hope you use it!! And if you don't have one, I hope you check out the link at the top and start making some amazing, healthy smoothies!!!!

Leave me a comment with your favorite smoothie combo!

Baked Teriyaki BBQ Chicken:

I am SO excited to share this recipe with you! When you are in a big family, there's only a handful of recipes that every, single person likes, and even fewer that every, single person LOVES. This recipe is one of those very proud few that everyone LOVED!
My sister wanted to have chicken at her graduation party, but last year, my mom spent a whole day partially cooking chicken legs and my dad spent 3 hours in the middle of a hot, July day grilling them for a big family picnic, and neither of them wanted to do that again!! So I started looking around for baked chicken recipes and stumbled across this one. I gave it a try, not really expecting too much, but was totally, pleasantly surprised!! It's way different than any other BBQ type sauce you might have and is just so moist and easy to make and even tastes great as leftovers!
I hope you give it a try!!!

4 lbs. Chicken legs, thighs or wings (any bone-in cut)
1 & 1/2 tblsp. olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce (be sure to check the label for gluten)
2 tblsp. ketchup
3/4 cup honey
1 & 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
dash of pepper

Place chicken in a foil lined baking dish. In a small container, combine remaining ingredients with a whisk until well combined. Pour over chicken. Bake at 400 degrees for 80 minutes, flipping chicken every 20 minutes. Remove to a serving plate and serve!!

Note:
-Foil baking pans are fabulous for this! You can just bake the chicken and toss the pan when your done!
-I made 60 lbs of this for my sisters graduation party, and instead of hoping that it was all done on time, I made it earlier in the day, and put it in the crock-pot (juices and all) on low for the rest of the day. It worked great!!