Seven Layer Dip just got a little skinnier and a little cheaper for Cinco de Mayo! As tradition dictates, parties for Cinco de Mayo happen all over the country to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride. This year at our house, we'll be celebrating with cinco layers and not seven. Overall, it's the traditional Seven Layer Dip, minus the olives and tomatoes. I've removed … [Read more...]
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Mango-Black Bean Salsa
Years ago when we had our oldest on a gluten free diet, I quickly learned that the best way to do that diet on a budget is to avoid gluten all together. And bake sparingly, and from scratch. I learned to base our meals around sweet potatoes, potatoes and brown rice. Adding in brown rice pasta, as our budget allowed. At the moment, we have 1 kid off dairy and soy, another kid … [Read more...]
Asian Chicken Salad with Quinoa
I love Asian chicken Salad. It is second only to chocolate on my list of favorites. I enjoy trying new variations and often experiment with it at home. When I discovered quinoa while going through my pantry, I knew I had to try it in this salad! Quinoa, with its nutty flavor and crunchy texture, is a natural addition to this type of salad. In this easy recipe, I used quinoa … [Read more...]
Toasty Coconut Nests
Easter and food allergies can be quite a conundrum. We want to fill those sweet baskets with goodies that are safe and fun. Here's a great recipe for an Easter celebration or for filling baskets. I love that this recipe is not overly sweet. Each nest is just about bite sized. It's free of all the top 8 allergens as well as gluten with only three ingredients. Kiddos would … [Read more...]
Honey BBQ Chicken
I wasn't kidding about these "house on the market bakes." I made a quiche this week too, along with another round of pork chops. Here's how this one went down... My middle son loves BBQ sauce. Loves it. Prefers it over ketchup for dipping. I've caught him dipping pineapple and cantaloupe in BBQ sauce. (I don't ask. And I don't complain.) I asked him if he wanted some … [Read more...]
Balsamic & Brown Sugar Pork Chops
Remember this Slow Cooker Brown Sugar and Balsamic Pork Roast from Slow Cooker week? I've been dying to try it. I'm a huge balsamic fan and was intrigued by the pork, brown sugar, balsamic flavor combination. (See: Balsamic Chicken with Caramelized Onions, Chicken Wraps with Balsam-melized Red Onions, Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Balsamic Onions) I recently bought a … [Read more...]
Roasted Garlic Chicken with Red Potatoes
Our house is now on the market. Which means I'm in "do-all-it-takes-to-keep-it-super-clean" mode. I'm coming up with as many shortcuts and time savers as I can to keep the house clean and picked up throughout the day. We've already had 2 showings...another one on the calendar for this weekend. In anticipation of this "someone could be coming to look any time," I've decided that … [Read more...]
15 Bean Enchiladas Recipe
Melt in your mouth enchiladas... Yep, these are those. I've made all kinds of enchiladas over the years. But never with a random mix of beans like this. Hurst Beans sent me a few bags of beans to cook with and experiment with...and it took me all over 2 seconds to know that I'd use the Cajun 15 Bean Soup mix to make some Cajun-kickin' enchiladas. The beans are cooked … [Read more...]
Cajun Pork Roast
Pork roast is an inexpensive meat that can be make many different ways. What happens when you coat a pork roast in blackening seasoning? You get the most flavorful, delicious, tender pork roast with a little Cajun flair- all allergy-free! This may sound like a spicy dish, but it isn't at all. Combine it with some mashed potatoes and a fresh green salad and you'll have a … [Read more...]
Peppermint Divinity
As soon as you pack up the Christmas decorations the candy canes become out of season treats. However, peppermint never goes out of season, so I crush my candy canes and use them to add peppermint flavor to candies and treats. Peppermint Divinity makes a delicious hostess gift if you attend any New Year's Eve parties. It is also a lovely Valentine's Day … [Read more...]