Gluten Free Dressing

This recipe belongs to my Mom. It is by far my favorite "Dressing" Recipe! I'm going to mix it up Wednesday, let it sit over night and then bake it Thursday around noon so it is nice and hot for lunch at one! As you know, most Dressing recipes are passed down from Mother to Daughter in almost every family. There isn't really a "Recipe" per se, for most Dressing you eat on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I love this recipe! Most of us agree that it is better made with gluten free cornbread than the regular!!! I hope you enjoy it!!!

Gluten Free Dressing

1 Package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread, cooked & crumbled.
4 Stems of Celery, Chopped
1 Small-Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped
1t Sage
2-3t Poultry Seasoning
2-3 Cans of Chicken Broth
1 Egg (Add the egg last, you will need to taste your mixture to make sure you are happy with the flavors before you add in the egg.)
S&P To Taste

Mix together cornbread, celery, onion, sage, & poultry seasoning. Add in two cans of chicken broth and add the third if the mixture isn't "soupy". If needed, add in the fourth can of chicken broth. Taste to make sure you are happy with the flavor and then add S&P accordingly. Beat the egg well and then add it to the mixture.

Bake in a well greased pan on 375 for 45 minutes or until center is firm and the edges start to brown.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

1 Gluten Free Pie Crust (Either store bought or homemade, not pre-cooked)
1 Can of Pure Pumpkin (15oz)
1 Can of Evaporated Milk (12oz)
3/4c + 2T Sugar
1 1/2t. Cinnamon
1 1/2t. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Eggs

In a mixing bowl, slightly whisk the 2 Eggs and add in the can of Pumpkin. In another bowl, combine together Sugar, Cinnamon, & Pumpkin Pie Spice. Slowly mix the Sugar mixture into the Egg & Pumpkin mixture. Combine well and then slowly add your can of milk.

Preheat your oven to 425. Pour into pie crust and bake on 425 for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for 45-50 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Slice and serve with a little portion of whipped cream or cool whip on top!

Crustless Quiche

If you are anything like me, you enjoy an easy breakfast dish that you can litterally throw together the morning of, and toss in the oven. This crustless quiche is that recipe! It's so healty, full of veggies and protein and of course, bacon!!!! This is the recipe you can use to impress the family on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning!

I had a few friends over for brunch last week, and this is one of the things I made. I cooked the bacon and the mushrooms the night before and just threw it all together the next morning. The worst part about a quiche, it takes 45-60 minutes to cook!!!! I don't have that kind of patience!!!!!

Crustless Quiche

8 Eggs, Scrambled (I whipped mine for 2 minutes. Makes a HUGE difference!!)
2 On The Vine Tomatoes, Sliced
1 Small Package of Mushrooms, Cooked
8 Slices of Bacon, Cooked then Chopped (You could also use any pre-done bacon, about 1/8c)
1/8c. Chopped Onion, Cooked or Raw, I like to cook them with the Mushrooms. (Yellow or Sweet)
1t Sea Salt
1/2T Black Pepper
1/2t Garlic Powder
Cheese of your choice. (I used Fetta)

Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees and grease a glass pie plate VERY WELL. Scramble or Whip your eggs well. If you whip them, they will double in size and make your quiche light and fluffy!!! Combine your eggs, Mushrooms, Bacon, Onion, Garlic and S&P in a mixing bowl.

Take one of your sliced tomatoes and use the four or five slices it makes and lay on the bottom of your pie plate. Pour over the egg and veggie mixture and then add the other sliced tomato on top. Place on a cookie sheet that is covered in aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until the center of your quiche is firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle your desired amount of cheese, let stand for five minutes and then slice and serve.

This dish will serve 8. Serve with a loaf of banana bread and fruit skewers drizzled with chocolate for a nice brunch!!! ENJOY!!!

Tomato Soup

 

 

 

Have you ever looked at the Nutrition Information on a can of Tomato Soup? I have not looked at it in a long time, but I can not imagine the calories and sodium content. I am beyond sure that the sodium in a can of tomato soup probably comes close to maxing out your sodium limit for the day.

I have always wanted to create my own tomato soup recipe. Not only because it would be healthier, but because gluten free tomato soup is so expensive for so little. This recipe turned out to be very inexpensive and made enough to feed eight people.

 

The day I decided to make it, I was taking a meal to a friend who has had some complications with her pregnancy and had been on bedrest. I don't know why I always seem to create new recipes when people are either coming over or it's a meal I'm taking somewhere. That is so dangerous!!! You have to come up with a back up plan just incase it doesn't turn out! Well, lucky me, this one turned out and we all LOVED it! This one is made from SCRATCH!!!! Not scratch as in canned tomatoes, but scratch as in fresh tomatoes from the produce section. I hope you take the time to make this and enjoy it as much as we did!! 

Tomato Soup

1 1/2lb. Roma Tomatoes (Chopped)
1lb. Slicing Tomatoes (Chopped)
2, 10oz. Containers of Grape Tomatoes -or- Cherry Tomatoes (Halved)
1 Large Sweet Onion (Chopped)
1 Medium-Large Green -or- Red Bell Pepper, I already had green (Chopped)
1/4c Olive Oil
1/2T Sea Salt
1/2T Black Pepper

Place all the veggies in a 9x13 pan, drizzle with olive oil and stir. Add S&P and stir again. Place in a 400 Degree oven for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from oven, stir, and place back for remaining 30 minutes.

After your veggies have roasted, place them in a large stock pot and add the following ingredients.

1 Box of Vegetable Broth
1/2T Garlic Powder
1T Italian Seasoning
1/2T Sea Salt
1/2T Pepper

Combine all ingredients well and let come to a boil for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, place your soup in a blender, or use an immersion blender to make your soup nice and smooth. I left a few chunks of tomato so that the soup would be noticably homemeade.

Return your soup to the pot and let simmer for at least another thirty minutes.

OPTIONAL:
Add a 1/2 cup of heavy cream, combine well, and serve.

We topped our soup with sliced green onions (green end only) and ate Grilled Ham and Cheese sandwiches on the side, well, in our soup!!! ENJOY!!!

Chili

Down here in the South, football isn't just a sport, it's a way of life. Saturdays aren't just a day off in the weekend, they are holidays, and your schedule revolves around what time your team comes on.

Today, majority of my friends and family were bundled up in their favorite team's logo'd sweatshirt, with their favorite jeans and cute boots (ok, maybe just the girls in the "cute boots"), tailgating or sitting in front of the TV. Many of them were probably chowing down on some of their favorite cold weather foods and sipping on coffee and hot chocolate. Today, that wasn't me.

It was a windy, 70 degree day here in Northeast Florida. I tried to get all "fallish" by putting on my grey skinny jeans but then had to adapt to the weather and put on one of my favorite cropped sleeved Razorback T's and flip flops. We went out to run a few errands and go vote (you need to do that by the way...) and I was bummed when we drove through Dunkin' Donuts and I was forced to order an Iced Latte Lite, because the weather didn't permit it any other way. As we were waiting in line to vote, for about ten seconds the winds of Hurricane Sandy (AKA: Frankenstorm) were just cool enough that I put my cardigan on. For those ten seconds, I had a smile on my face and I knew just what I was going to cook when I got home, chili.

Last year I decided that I was tired of just throwing things together in the pot and it always tasting different, so, I finally wrote it down! Here's my chili recipe, which seems to be pretty popular with all those Navy boys that have eaten it! I hope you enjoy it as much as they do!

Chili

2lb Ground Turkey (You can substitute beef if you like)
1 (good size) Green Bell Pepper, Chopped/Diced
1 (good size) Onion (I like a yellow onion)
1T Salt
1T Pepper

Combine all of these ingredients in a large pot and let cook completely.

Then add:
1T Red Pepper Flake (or more if you'd like)
3-4T Chili Powder
1/2T Garlic
2-3T Italian Seasoning
3T Yellow Mustard
4T Worcestershire Sauce

Stir well and coat the meat.

Then add:
1 20oz Can of Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 20oz Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 20oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 Can of Rotel (I use the "Original")
1 Can of Low Sodium Red Kidney Beans

Let simmer on Low for at least two hours, mine simmers for at least four, and then enjoy with any of your favorite "Chili Fixin's". The picture above was Clint's. I prefer my chili with just cheese on top and then I like to dip my Fritos so they don't get soggy. :-)

I'm on Facebook

Gluten Free Navy Wife is now on Facebook! It could be an easier way for you to keep up with any new recipes that will be posted! I am also doing my homework to have my own domain and branch out from the "blogspot" status. Any new updates will be posted here, on my blogspot and at facebook.com/glutenfreenavywife.

Thank you for reading and keep checking back for some new recipes created with some of Pamela's Products new mixes!!!

Silkiest, Softest Hands.

I don't know about you, but I am pretty addicted to the sugar scrub I wrote for "Softest, Silkiest Legs". I absolutely love it! Infact, I used it last night. I have been wanting to write a scrub that uses coconut oil and is a little bit grittier, so it would be more like a hand or foot scrub. I had my little sister, Bradey in mind. She loves sugar scrubs and likes my first scrub but really would rather have a gritty scrub over an oily one. This recipe was pretty much written just for her!

I put Hadley down for a nap a little while ago and decided I would get to work on this little beauty! I want to take some over to a friend tonight because she is watching Hadley while Clint and I go to the Brad Paisley & The Band Perry concert. (Free tickets and VERY excited!!!!)

I really hope you enjoy this scrub as much as all of you have enjoyed the last one. Infact, that blog alone has 1.7 million hits, so apparently that scrub is a success!!! ENJOY!!!!

Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub
3/4c Coconut Oil (I used the Whole Foods Brand Organic Refined)
1/4c Olive Oil
2c Sugar
Zest of One Lime
Juice of One Lime (Came out to almost 1/4c)

 

Whisk together your coconut oil and olive oil until all of the lumps are out of the coconut oil. Begin to whisk in your sugar one 1/2c at a time. After you have added 1 1/2c, start using a spoon to combine. Add your zest and stir. (Picture to the right is before you have stirred, at this point, it will look like mashed potatoes with lime zest!!!) You want to add your lime zest and lime juice separately because if you at the same time, they will clump together. Finally, add your lime juice and stir. After you have added the lime juice the texture of the scrub with become smooth.

Please let me know how this scrub worked for you and PLEASE, share it with your friends!!!

Poisoned... Ugh.

I love the rare occasion that we get to dine out! Seriously! With an "allergy" and a toddler, it's near impossible these days. I know restaurants that offer gluten free dining have become more available for people like us but sometimes, I wish they just wouldn't offer it if they can't keep their gluten and gluten free areas separated.

Sunday after church, we dined at Mellow Mushroom over in Jacksonville Beach. For starters, they were SO busy because the Jaguars (football) were on TV in the bar. That should have been my first red flag. If they are really really busy then they probably aren't going to be careful. Secondly, our pizza came out and was still cold in the middle, to the point that the cheese wasn't even melted. To me, that's a total bummer because on the rare occasion that I do get to dine out, it's even more rare that I get to eat pizza. REAL pizza, from a restaurant, not the kind I make at home. I ate one piece and shared a piece with my little girl. Apparently, I shouldn't have eaten at all!!!!!!

On our way home, I started getting a headache. I didn't think anything of it because we sat outside and it was very bright and when it's bright like that, I tend to get a little headache. BUT, as the evening progressed, my headache got worse and I was very nauseas. Sunday night, I went to bed elevated and with a killer headache and woke up a lot during the night with the same thing. The next morning, I felt ok, still had a headache but decided to power on!!! I ran over to base and got my sister a little "college care package" together and mailed it to her and then went for a walk with a friend. During this time, I started having some of the worst stomach cramps imaginable. Luckily, when we got home, Hadley went down for a nap and I was able to sit in agony and do my Bible Study (inbetween trips to the bathroom of course). It was one of the worst cross contamination issues I have had!!! Anything I ate or drank on Monday would go straight through me. My husband kept telling me that I needed to get fluids in me and I refused!!! Told him that I would drink water or gatorade as soon as my stomach chilled out!!! Ugh... I'm so glad that is over and I am pretty sure I am DONE with Mellow Mushroom for a while. It's not worth it. I love pizza and it is a WONDERFUL treat to get to have, but basically, I paid $20 for pain. Bad pain. Horrible pain. Would rather give birth again kind of pain!!!!!

Be careful as you eat out and don't be afraid to boycott a restaurant for a while if they have made you sick. Take to social media, tell all your friends and definitely let the restaurant know!!! My stomach hurts just thinking about the pain I was in...

GF Apple Cinnamon & Oatmeal Muffins

 

I've been wanting to make a recipe for a good apple cinnamon muffin for a while, but I didn't want it to be the "typical" AC Muffin that you can buy in the store. When you buy a packaged muffin mix, the fruit inside is always dried and it's full of things that you don't necessarily want in your breakfast.

This morning, while Hadley sat in her high chair and ate eggs and strawberries, I made these yummy muffins! Normally, I take a recipe and try it and then add or subtract some things to make it better (in my opinion). Today's recipe is 100% me!!! I didn't look at any other recipe to create this one, I just started throwing things together and did it!! I'm quite proud of myself because this doesn't happen very often, especially since I was going back and forth between cooking and taking care of Miss Priss!

I hope you enjoy these muffins! Hadley ate SIX. Yes, you read that right, SIX!!!!! (Mini size of course!!)

 

Apple Cinnamon and Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/2c. Pamela's Baking Mix
1/3 + 1T Milk

2 Eggs

1/8c White Sugar

1/8c + 1T Brown Sugar

1/2c. Gluten Free Oats (I used Bob's)

1 Green Apple, Diced (See picture below)
1T Cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

In a mixing bowl, combine the Baking Mix, Milk, Eggs, Sugars, and Cinnamon and combine with a whisk. Once nicely combined, stir (Do not whisk) in Oats and Diced Apple. Here's the measurement that my one diced apple came out to. A little over a cup.

 

Grease a muffin pan (Mini size or Regular size) and fill each one 1/2-3/4 of the way full, depending on the size muffin you want. I always fill my cups 1/2 way full because I can make more muffins that way!!!

For a regular size muffin bake 15-18 minutes. For a mini size muffin bake 13-15 minutes.
This recipe makes 8-10 regular size muffins or 15-18 mini size muffins!!! I went a little goofy and made 12 mini muffins and four regular ones!

ENJOY!!!! :)



OH MY!!! Alfredo!!!

I LOVE ALFREDO!!!! I do!! It's so fattening and I know it is absolutely NO good for me, but every now and then, you just need it. Yes, NEED it. I do not like any alfredo sauce I have ever had at any restaurant. It seems a little milky/watery and not cheesy enough and if I am going to eat the fat grams in this, I want it to be cheesy.

It's so hard to pen down a "recipe" for this alfredo because I always just kind of throw the ingredients in the pan and if it doesn't work then I add whatever it needs. I think after making it tonight, I may have some sort of recipe to post. My Mom made this recipe when I was growing up, and still makes it, and now I make it. Actually, my little sister, who rarely cooks can even make this, so that just goes to show that it's EASY. (No offense Bradey!!!)

This recipe will probably be enough alfredo sauce to feed 10-12 people. My Mom and I always cook the pasta in a big pan, drain the water, and then pour the alfredo sauce over the cooked pasta and mix it together. That way, every piece of pasta is covered in sauce. Tonight, I topped the alfredo with grilled chicken that was sliced and fanned out. I could kick myself for not taking a picture! It looked SO pretty!!

Alfredo
1 1/2 sticks of Butter (Do not substitute margarine)
22oz. Sour Cream
2, 12oz cans of Evaporated Milk
8oz of grated Parmesan Cheese

Melt the butter in a medium size pot and then add one can of evaporated milk. Whisk in all of the parmesan cheese and when incorporated, add your other can of evaporated milk. Add Salt and Pepper to your liking. Once all of the ingredients are incorperated and your sauce is hot, remove from the stove. DO NOT BOIL THE SAUCE!!! (Yes, I'm kind of yelling because that is very important!!!) ;)

I like serving it over gluten free penne pasta. It really holds the sauce nicely and is easy to eat. My sister prefers angel hair pasta. Whatever your favorite pasta shape is, I would recommend using that!!!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

I guarantee you that by in the morning, I will weigh five pounds heavier than I do right now, and I don't even care!!! (Good attitude, right??) For dinner tonight, I made Gluten Free Calzones and I will just say, YUM! It's something we do not have very often and it's something my 15 month old, inhales! She loves them! Before I even had decided that we were having GF Calzones for dinner, I had already begun the process of Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls. I haven't had a GOOD cinnamon roll in over four years (I have had a frozen one, YUCK) and I was not expecting anything spectacular tonight. I do not get my hopes up about my recipes anymore because too many fail. Well, in my opinion, they fail. My husband loves eating crumbled up cookies that don't come off the pan, and actually our friends Cord and Emily loved those cookies too!! Oh well, back to the cinnamon rolls. I didn't have my hopes up, but man oh man, when they came out of the oven, my hopes were up and I was on cloud 9!!!!

The other day, we went by Whole Foods and I grabbed a bag of Pamela's Bread Mix and Flour Blend. That's the best decision I've made in a while!! I was looking at the recipes on the back of the package and decided the cinnamon roll was going to be first on my list!

*As always, I am telling you up front that this recipe was not created by me. This recipe is from Pamela's Products Inc. I used their recipe to make these cinnamon rolls but I changed a few things to make them better (in my opinion).*

There are four different recipes inside this one recipe. You have a recipe for the actual dough, the yeast, the filling, and the glaze. I will go one by one and break it down easier than the way Pamela's did. I will also go in order of how I did everything!

**You need two sticks of room temperature butter.**

Yeast:
1 packet of active dry yeast (or 2 1/4t)
1t sugar
1/2c warm water

Place 1/2 cup of warm water in a small bowl (or a 1c measuring container) and dissolve the 1t of sugar. Add in the packet of yeast and combine with a fork. Let it sit for about five minutes until "foamy" (as Pamela's said). While the yeast sits and gets all foamy, get the filling ready.

Filling:1 stick of unsalted, room temperature, butter
1/3c sugar
1/8c brown sugar (my addition)
4t cinnamon (I added that 4th teaspoon)
1/3c of raisins &/or pecans (I did not do this step because of my little girl, but I don't think 1/3c
        would be enough. I would probably at least do 1/2c.)

With a handheld mixer, combine the stick of room temperature butter, 1/3c sugar, 1/8c of brown sugar, and 4t cinnamon. Sit the mixture to the side.

Rolls:3 1/2c Pamela's Bread/Flour Mix
1 egg, large
1/4c and about 2T Milk (recipe called for 1/4c water, really!?!?)
1 stick of room temperature butter
1T of Orange Zest (optional, I didn't have an orange, so I didn't)

The recipe says to use a heavy duty stand mixer, but shockingly, I do not have one. If anyone would like to donate one to me, I would be absolutely 100% ready and willing to accept it!!! :) (The kitchen aid light blue/tealish color would match my hand mixer, for anyone who wanted to know!!!)

I have a Ninja Kitchen System so I just used the bowl and the dough attachment to mix my dough. It worked ok. (First time I had used the dough attachment) So, if you have a ninja or a stand mixer, it all works the same. Use the whisk attachment on your stand mixture if you are going to use that, if you are going to use a ninja, use your hand mixer to combine the butter and egg then transfer to the ninja.

Combine the stick of softened butter with 1 egg, and orange zest, if desired. Then slowly add in 1 1/2 c of Pamela's Mix. Add the milk, "foamy" yeast, and the remaining 2c of Pamela's Mix and combine until well incorporated. Once incorporated, place ball of dough on a large sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, into a large rectangle, about 1/4" thick. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and spread the filling all over the dough. Spread evenly and make sure you get all the way to the edge.

**This is where Pamela and I are different. Apparently she would rather have done all this work and only get 5-6 cinnamon rolls out of all this effort. In other words, they rolled the short end, to the short end. I on the other hand, refuse to do all this work and get ONLY 5-6 cinnamon rolls. I rolled long end to long end and ended up with a smaller cinnamon roll (exact same size as Pillsbury) and 16!!! 16 Cinnamon Rolls!!!!!**

So, now that I got that off my chest, let's get back to it. After you have spread the mixture evenly, and all the way to the edge of your dough, begin to roll your dough from long end to long end. To get the roll started, lift the parchment paper, and fold 1/4" over itself. It will be a breeze to roll from there. Once you have rolled your dough, you are ready to cut! Get a very sharp knife, I used a big chef's knive and it worked great. Cut rolls about 3/4"-1" thick and place in a greased 9x13 baking pan, about 1/2" apart and 1/2" from the edges. I ended up having a full 9x13 pan and a loaf pan with a few rolls in it.

Now to the hardest part...
Place the pan to the side and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes. This right here is why I ended up making calzones for dinner!!! Side Note: My dough did not rise. :(

Glaze:
1c powdered sugar
3T milk (recipe called for water, YUCK)

3/4t of vanilla

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork. Cover and place in the refrigerator until time to glaze cinnamon rolls. Placing the glaze in the refrigerator helps to thicken it, so it's perfect for a hot cinnamon roll!!! This recipe gives you almost 1t of glaze per roll.

It's almost time to reward your patience!!! Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes. When rolls have been out of the oven for a few minutes, glaze and share!!!
Or eat them all... I won't tell!!!

*This recipe may sound complicated, but I promise, it is much easier than it sounds!!

Self Breast Exams

In March of this year, I felt something inside my body I never thought I would feel. I was changing clothes and changed bras and I felt something uncomfortable where my underwire hit. It was a little tender to the touch and I got a little concerned. I called my doctor and got an appointment for the next day. She did an exam and told me it was an inflamed duct. As an overwhelming sense of relief came over me, she continued on and let me know that she wanted to go ahead and do an ultrasound just to make sure everything is ok. I was fine with this idea because it's noninvasive and not a big deal.

 A few days later, I was back in the doctor's office for my ultrasound. As I laid there, the technician asked me to pinpoint the area of concern. She went around the specific area. As she did that, I watched the screen and saw what I now call "the intruder". The technician told me she was going to go get a radiologist to look at my images before I left. A few minutes later, he came in the room and told me that I have a tumor.

Jumping forward to this last Wednesday... I had my follow up ultrasound to check the size of my intruder. Not only has it grown a little but, but it has taken on a whole new shape. The picture below is my first image (top) and my second image (bottom).

(This isn't a size comparison, because the pictures were taken with my phone
from two different types of screens).

As my new radiologist looked at the new images and then took some more images himself, he informed me that the tissue around the tumor is healthy breast tissue, which is very good news. He gave me a few options, a follow up scan in three months, a biopsy, or a lumpectomy. My husband and I decided that we were jumping in head first and taking control of the situation. Like I have said from the beginning, this is an intruder, it doesn't belong in my body and it is coming out. There is no need for us to wait for another scan or go through a potentially painful biopsy when I could just tell this dude "goodbye" forever!!!

There are not but a handful of people in my life who currently know about this little creature living inside my body. I have not brought it to many people's attention because more than likely, there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

I wrote this blog today to share the importance of doing a self breast exam. No matter how old you are, male or female, breast cancer is no joke. It's scary and serious. A self breast exam is so easy and quick.

Here are the instructions on how to do an exam properly, and it's straight from the experts! http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/about-breast-cancer/breast-self-exam.aspx

Do an exam once a month. You may find something, you may not, but if you do, do not hesitate to call your doctor. I was a little concerned that I was going to embarrass myself and it would be nothing, but mine was something. I'm glad I put everything aside, and called. I know it's nothing, I know that I'm fine, but what if it is something? If it is, I saved my own life.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Bites

Scrolling through Pinterest and other places, I have seen little things like this. People are calling them all sorts of things but I am just going to call them "Oatmeal Bites". I have been wanting something healty to just be able to grab when I'm in the mood for something salty or sweet.

In some of recipes I've scrolled through, I haven't see many "tasty" ingredients. Some of them just have mixtures of nuts that don't sound tasty together, oatmeal, and then some chocolate chips. I decided, if I'm going to take the time to make a healthy little snack, it is going to be healthy and yummy all in one bite!! I had all of these ingredients on hand (rare), so I decided to throw some things together and see what I could come up with. I am very happy with the results, and I hope you like them! I can't wait for my husband to get home from work and my little girl to wake up from her nap to taste them so I can get the real 411 on if they are actually good or not!!!

**UPDATE**
These little snacks didn't last very long! Hadley was eating them like they were pure chocolate and Clint loved them as well!!! Hope ya'lls tastebuds danced like their's did!!!

Please enjoy!!!

Gluten Free Oatmeal Bites (Makes 28, 1T size bites)

1c GF Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats)

1/3c & 1T of GF Peanut Butter (spray the containers with non stick spray before measuring)

2T Honey

1/4c Almonds (I had Honey Roasted Almonds on hand and they are YUM in this recipe.)

1/3c Walnuts

1/2c Milk Chocolate Chips (Use whichever chocolate is your favorite or whatever you have on hand.)

In a small or medium size mixing bowl, combine the oatmeal and peanut butter. Once that is combined, add in the honey.

Finely chop or coarsly chop the almonds and walnuts. I ran them through something equivalent to a "Slap Chop". Add them to the oatmeal mixture and combine, then add the chocolate chips.

Use a tablespoon measuring spoon and dip out some of the mixture. Flatten it into the spoon to where it's flat on top, this helps it to go ahead and start sticking together. Remove it from the spoon and mold it into a ball. Don't roll it, it will break apart. Squeezing it together and molding it works best. I only ended up with 26 Oatmeal bites in the end because I ate one, or three, before I counted. 28 is a good estimate!!! ENJOY!!!

Watermelon, Goat Cheese, & Pistachio Bites

Over Memorial Day weekend, we took a little weekend getaway, two hours South to Orlando. I found us a four star hotel on Travelocity for $59 a night, we had free tickets to Sea World and a list of GF friendly restaurants. I was one excited girl!!! Our hotel had several restaurants and one of them was this super nice, semi fancy place so we decided to treat ourselves to that one! (My sister was with us so we had a built in babysitter!) I called ahead to see if they could provide a GF option for me and they said they would cook whatever I requested! Along with this amazing service, since it was Memorial Day weekend, they were giving active duty military FIFTY percent off their final tab. It was so nice!! We ended up paying $60 for a meal that should have been about $140. (We were given complimentary wine for some reason.)

This recipe, is what we had for our appetizer. It was so wonderful and refreshing. I have made it four times since we have been home. Everyone I have made it for, has loved it!! I seriously can not get enough of it!! Please enjoy and note that there are no measurements here! Everything is done according to how big of a bite you want it to be! Any measurements I do give will be estimated on a serving of about four people.

Watermelon, Goat Cheese, & Pistachio Bites

-I use a seedless Watermelon for this, and cut it into small square bite size pieces. Maybe 1/2"X1/2" (You will use less than half of a seedless watermelon.)

-One small package of goat cheese (from Publix). I think it might be 2oz. Maybe 3oz. It's the package that is $3.99.

-Shelled/Roasted/Salted Pistachios. A container of 6oz is MORE than plenty. You can either run them through a food processor or do what I did for the picture above and put them in a plastic bag and beat the mess out of them!! (They are prettier and crunchier this way)

Place your watermelon on a pretty serving platter, or paper plate... Whatever floats your boat.

Roll your goat cheese into small balls, remember, these are best enjoyed when they are "one bite".

Roll the balls of goat cheese in the crumbled/smashed/processed pistachios and then place on top of a cube of watermelon.

If you have toothpicks, stab them through so they are easier to pick up. We did not have time to put toothpicks through these. I barely got the picture taken before they were all snatched up! I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!!

Side Note:
I have paired these with Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc and they have both been quite nice. Sauv Blanc is the recommended if you are looking at a pairing chart tho.

Preparing for Company

As some of my readers may know, I am having a heart procedure on Monday. It's a very simple/routine procedure and oddly enough, I am not nervous at all! Now, if you ask me Sunday night, I might have a different answer, but right now, Thursday morning at 1:23am, I am excited!

With my husband's busy training schedule, he is not able to take any time off to help me recover when all this is over. Let me rephrase that, he IS able to take time off but, it will set him back in his training and that is the last thing I want!!! He has worked so hard to get to this point and I won't let some silly little procedure mess up his hard work! Fortunately, he will be by my side and in the waiting room on the big day and it will not mess up his training schedule, but beside him in the waiting room will be my Mom, Dad and little sister, and of course, our daughter.

My Mom and sister, Bradey, will arrive sometime Sunday afternoon. They are going to make the sixteen hour drive to Jacksonville, from central Arkansas. My Dad, is going to have to fly because of his job. I will insert here and say that I am blessed with a Dad who is an amazing Music Pastor. God has given him such an incredible gift and I can honestly say, I miss worshiping with him on Sunday mornings. His church has been doing mission projects all over their city this week and Sunday is their big wrap up day, so that is definitely a "Do not miss" day!!! By Sunday evening at 9:45, my family should be reunited and returning to my house from the airport! I feel like a kid getting ready for Christmas! I am so excited! The six of us haven't been together, under one roof, since December 30th, and in my opinion, that is entirely too long!

I am that girl that does way too much in preparation for company to arrive. I wash their sheets on the day of their arrival so that they are as fresh as can be, I make sure that they have a nice body wash and hair products in their bathroom, I fold their bed back (and occasionally place a mint or chocolate), I make sure that breakfast is already made for the next morning, the coffee pot is ready and coffee mugs are on the counter waiting for them. I'm starting to think I missed my calling in life as the owner of a Bed and Breakfast. Sometimes in preparation for guests, Clint tells me I overdo it. I guess he's right, I mean, they are coming in town for my heart surgery, they aren't coming for a spa vacation. I guess I just want them to feel like they are. Am I crazy? Please someone tell me that I am not the only one out there who gets a little too excited about guests staying with you and it is possible that you go a little too far above and beyond.

I know this for certain, on Sunday, I am making a nice loaf of banana bread, a loaf of gluten free sandwich bread and possibly some GF Oreos. I also have them a "goodie basket" made for the waiting room on Monday. Yes, that probably is a little too far, but my surgery could take anywhere from two-six hours, they may get bored and hungry! I just want the best for my guests. Even though they are staying in a 1300 square foot townhome in a semi-ghetto neighborhood, I want them to feel as if they are at a semi luxury resort with all the amenities!!!

OH! Fresh flowers too! ;)

Cake Pop's

I hope everyone is enjoying some of my recipes and tips!!! It makes me smile when I get an alert letting me know that someone has "pinned" my Silky Legs post! I know I do not keep up with this like I should. Things have been so crazy recently and they are only about to get crazier!

I have been battling a heart abnormality for four years and on Monday (July 2nd) I am finally having surgery to fix my "broken heart". It is a very simple procedure and I can not wait to feel normal again!! Well, as normal as I can be anyway!

I have an easy fun recipe for you to take into the holiday. It's a recipe for the easiest cake pops EVER! Some people think that you make cake pops from a round mold and bake it. Hate to burst your bubble, but there's no need to go buy a special pan, it's easier than that!!! All you need is a GF Chocolate Cake Mix, a regular size tub of frosting, and white chocolate almond bark.

 For this recipe, I use the Betty Crocker GF Devil's Food cake mix. Make the cake according to the directions on the box, except do not use water, use milk! (Always use milk over water!!!)

After the cake is baked, let it cool. Once it has cooled, break it up and run it through your food processor until it is a fine crumb. In a bowl or the baking pan (what I normally do) combine the tub of Chocolate Frosting (my choice) and the crumbed cake mix and then roll the messy mixture into small balls. If you have small dowel rods or popcicle sticks, put one in each cake ball and make it a cake "pop". I for one, never have either on hand, so I just make "Cake Balls".

Place in the refrigerator for about an hour and then dip into melted white chocolate almond bark, or just drizzle over the cake ball/pops.

We like to keep our "Cake Balls" in the refrigerator for the few hours that they last. My husband says that this specific combination almost tastes like an Oreo!!!! Which is actually perfect since my Twitter screen name is "i_miss_oreos".

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

HAPPY 4th of JULY just incase I do not get to post again!!!
Thank a military member today!!!

Gluten Free Cheese Crackers (CHEEZIT!!!)

This has officially become my "Most Wanted" recipe! As always, I will be upfront and confess that the original creation of this recipe is not my doing. I found the base of the recipe somewhere else and I have altered it to fit my gluten free lifestyle and the palate of my 14 month old little girl.

We have a hard time around here finding a really good "cracker" so I was excited to see a base recipe for this and use it to create something I have not been able to enjoy for almost four years, a Cheezit. They were so easy to make and so delicious! I'll just stop blabbing and post the recipe! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Gluten Free Cheese Crackers

**Hadley Version:
1c Flour
4T Cold UNsalted Butter
2 1/4c Cheese (I used Extra Sharp White Cheddar this time.)
3-4T Ice Water

-Note: Read recipe to see when to preheat your oven. Do not preheat at the beginning.

Pulse flour and butter in a food processor until combined. Slowly pulse in cheese (1/2c at a time) until all is combined. Pulse in 1T of Ice water (without the ice) at a time until dough is not as crumbly Remove from food processor and place in plastic wrap. Wrap up tightly and place in the refrigerator for about thirty minutes.

Once dough is out of the refrigerator, touch as little as possible. The warmth of your hands will start to melt the butter and we do not want that! Roll out dough onto a counter with a little bit of flour on it. Roll until dough is 1/8" thick. Cut the dough into small squares, about the size of Cheezits. I used a pizza cutter and it was fast and easy.

Place squares on a greased cookie sheet. To keep the cracker from puffing up in the middle, I placed a small hole in the center of each square. I broke of one of the teeth off of a plastic fork and used the broken end (bigger end) to poke the holes.

At this point, you can preheat your oven to 350 degrees. After you have placed all crackers on the baking sheet and poked holes in them, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for ten minutes. This will cool down the butter again so that your crackers will stay square and not spread.

Bake at 350 for 13-18 minutes (depending on your oven) and enjoy!

**The non-Hadley version has a few extra ingredients.

1/2t of Pepper
1/8t of Onion Powder
The next batch, I will be substituting Pepper Jack cheese for the Cheddar.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

As I sit here typing this post, I am smelling the most amazing aroma coming from my kitchen! I have banana bread in the oven! It only has about 20 more minutes before it's final resting place in the stomachs of the three of us in this household.

Banana bread is by far one of our favorites! Here recently, I have been making it without pecans, which to me is just sinful, BUT, I do have an almost 14 month old who doesn't need those pieces of pecans just yet! Oh the sacrifices we make as mothers.

This recipe is straight from Pamela's BUT, I have made adjustments to make it better!!! Well, I guess that's my opinion. The only way you will know is if you make it both ways! (Don't waste your time, just make mine!!!!!!!)

I hope you enjoy!!


Banana Nut Bread

1 3/4c of Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix
1/2c of Sugar or Honey (I use sugar)
3 Rotten Bananas (Anywhere from 2 1/4c-3c., we REALLY like banana)
4T of butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
3/4c of Pecans, chopped (Optional)
1t Vanilla
1/8t Salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. Combine the baking mix, sugar and salt. Then add in your bananas, eggs and vanilla. After all is combined, add in your pecans.

Place in your loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Baking for 60 minutes is a good time if you have 2-2 1/2c of banana, adjust for a wetter batter, AKA, more bananas!

Let cool as long as you can stand it and ENJOY! I always top with a little bit of margarine, I don't know why, I just feel like it's yummier on top than butter!!! T minus 10 minutes and counting until mine comes out of the oven!!!

Egg, Bacon, Hashbrown Muffins

These "muffins" are yummy fresh out of the oven or leftover! We like them for dinner with pancakes when we are craving breakfast for dinner. They are pretty easy to make. From start to finish, you are looking at about an hour. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
-4 to 5 small red potatoes, cut into small squares
-4 pieces of bacon, cooked (or bacon bits, as long as it's real bacon)
-1/2 cup of bell pepper, chopped
-1/2 cup of onion, chopped (we have been out of town and I did not have fresh onion so I used 1T of dried minced onion)
-6 Eggs
-2T Butter
-Shredded Cheese
-Salt & Pepper to taste

First, chop your bell pepper and onion and cut your potatoes into small cubes as seen below.

In a large non stick skillet place your 2T of butter. When the butter is melted, put the potatoes in with the heat on medium-medium/high. Let them cook for 5-10 minutes before you add in the bell pepper and onion. Once you add in the peppers and onions, season it all with salt and pepper to your liking. I normally give the pan a good twice over with each. Let these things cook until they are done.

Once the potatoes, peppers and onions are done, liberally spray 6 muffin tins with non stick spray. Fill each cup about half full, definitely no more than that. Sprinkle a little bit of cooked bacon in each cup and then top with a raw egg.

Place muffin tin in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and let bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place back in the oven until cheese is melted.

Please note: Jalapenos and Hot Sauce are optional... This is how my hubby likes them!!

Softest, Silkiest Legs

I know I normally post recipes and helpful gluten free living tips on my blog, but today, I discovered the trick to getting the softest and silkiest legs.

It all started yesterday when Clint and I were out shopping. We weren't shopping for anything specific but recently I have been "shopping" for some sugar body scrub. Let me just tell you, sugar body scrub is NOT cheap, even at Walmart. I finally just decided to do some research and found a recipe for sugar scrub that I could make with things I had on hand at home. When all said and done, this scrub probably cost me $3 to make and it made a lot!!! This sugar scrub is not the key to the soft and silky legs tho, this is just one of the steps!!! Below is the recipe for this at home sugar scrub and the steps to the silkiest legs I have ever had!!! Seriously, I was shocked enough that I'm posting it to a recipe blog!!!

Scrub:
-2 1/2 Cups of Sugar (Yes, just normal sugar)
-1 Cup of oil (I used Olive Oil and of course, I smell a little like Olive Oil. You can also use Canola, Vegetable, Avocado, Coconut or any fragranced body oil you have).
-5 Tablespoons of a citrus juice. Preferably fresh squeezed. (I used Key Lime)

Bath Time:
-Draw you a warm/hot bath.
-Soak for about five minutes.
-Shave one leg.
-Take a palm full of your homemade sugar scrub and scrub that leg and then rinse off.
-Shave your leg again. Yes, again.
-Take a palm full of sugar scrub and scrub your leg again.
-Repeat on your other leg.
-After your bath, dry off and then lotion your legs.

When you shave your leg the first time, obviously, it's going to remove the hair. When you scrub after you shave, it removes any dead skin. By shaving your leg again after you use the sugar scrub, you are getting all of that dead skin off of your leg. You will need to rinse your razor frequently (you will see why).