Scalloped Potatoes

6 thinly sliced raw potatoes
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs or 2 1/2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups hot milk

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Sage

1 cup Cheddar Cheese (graded)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Arrange alternate layers of potatoes and onions in a buttered casserole dish. Over each layer, sprinkle bread crumbs or flour and the spices. Add salt to milk and pour over all.

Top with remaining bread crumbs and dot with butter.

Cover and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until browned on top and until potatoes are tender. Add Cheese to the top and broil until melted.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Droll right? I am so going to make this for Marshall sometime. He's in love with peanut butter. 

Check out the recipe over at The Pioneer Woman

Candida Diet Breakfast: Mung Bean Pancakes

2 cups mung beans soaked overnight

3 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon chopped ginger root

Dill or scallion or other herbs to taste

Water

Crush everything in food blender until you have smooth a paste/batter. Then drop pancakes onto a hot skillet, with a small of coconut or olive oil.

Tip: Try putting a little spinach in for a little something extra

Make Me Happy Monday: Un-Iced Wedding Cakes

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Candida Diet Lunch: Roasted Vegetable Salad with Boiled Egg

For 2 servings:
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4 boiled eggs
2 Bell Peppers (any color)
2 tomatoes
1/2 a zucchini
6 shallots
3 cups of baby spinach
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place chopped up peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and onions in a roasting pan. Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper to mix and coat. Spread in a single layer in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

Hard boil the eggs, peel, cut in half and set aside.

In a large bowl add 3 cups of baby spinach, chopped up vegetables, egg halves and serve. Add some extra olive oil and a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Cowgirl Cookies in a Jar from Bobbi-Jo

My girl friend Bobbi-Jo made up a bunch of these and gave them out at Christmas time and I was lucky enough to get one! I wanted to save baking them for a special occasion and so I waited for our road trip. I made them and serious before we even got to California they were gone! These cookies are wonderfully good! So if you're looking for a fun gift idea or just another cookie to try you have to go with these!

Dry:
- 1⅓ cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cooking oats
- ¾ cup m&ms
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
-½ cup white sugar
- ⅓ - ½ cup chopped pecans




Wet:
- 1 slightly beaten egg
- ½ cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla


- Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

- Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated.

- Then roll the cookie dough into 1½ inch balls, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

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St. Patrick's Day Jello Cream Cake

Doesn't this look so tasty? I love the different Jello deserts The Food Librarian does and here's yet another great example! I'm not much for this holiday, I think it's great and all but I guess I just never celibate it but I thought what a fun desert, maybe I'll take up a little bit of a the celebration! I saw recipe last year, but I thought I'd share it with you now!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Crust:
1 1/2 sticks - butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c flour
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream Layer:
1 - 3 oz package of lemon Jello (small box)
1 c boiling water
1/2 c sugar
8 oz package of cream cheese (one block), softened
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Jello Layer:
1 - 6 oz package lime Jello (large box)
2 c boiling water
1 c cold water

1. Make the crust. Cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add flour and nuts to the mix. Press dough into buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. I use the Pyrex pan. Bake crust for 10-15 minutes in pre-heated 375 degrees oven or until crust is brown. Let cool.

2. Make cream layer. Dissolve lemon Jello with 1 cup boiling water. Let this mixture cool. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and cream cheese. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks (but don't make butter). Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Don't worry about it blending perfectly. Add the cooled lemon Jello and hand whisk together. Pour cream mixture over cooled crust and chill until firm in the refrigerator.

3. Make the Jello layer. In a large bowl, dissolve lime Jello with 2 cups boiling water. Add 1 cup cold water. Let this mixture cool. Pour on top of cheese mixture and return to refrigerator to cool completely.

4. Cut and enjoy!

5. Notes: You can, of course, change the color to suit your mood or holiday. This makes a bunch and can get pretty tall! When you add the cream layer, make sure you leave space for the top Jello layer. I usually place the 9 x 13 pan on a half-sheet pan in case I have spillage when placing the top layer on the cake!

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Make your own Kettle Corn

The other night Marshall and I were settled in for a movie and I got a serious popcorn craving. I wasn't sure at first what type I wanted but then decided on Kettle Corn. I've only ever bought it or made it from microwave popcorn. I'm not eating microwave popcorn anymore (I don't recognize most of the ingredients in there!) and now that I have a wonderful popcorn popper I decided I'd give it a go. I found the following recipes:

Kettle Corn

Tip: Homemade Kettle Corn is much, much tastier when you prepare it with butter-flavor oil.
1/2 cup popcorn
1/4 cup vegetable oil or butter flavor oil
1 1/2 - 3 tablespoons sugar (lightly sweet to very sweet)
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Pour in the popcorn, sprinkle sugar on top, and cover. Once the popcorn starts popping, shake the pan continuously until the popcorn is popped. Transfer the kettle corn to a serving bowl and salt lightly. Makes 8-10 cups.


Easy Alternate Directions:

Sprinkle salt and sugar to taste over hot, lightly buttered popcorn.


I took the easier alternative but instead of having the grains of salt and sugar (I hate that) I melted butter and sugar together and then put it over top of the popcorn. It made for a little bit sweeter of a Kettle Corn but still very very good (I think next time I'll put a little more salt on, instead of just the salt that's in the butter)

Spinach Zucchini Spaghetti

I have been trying to make different meals lately, more health options, with lots of veggies. I heard of something like this before, and me being the type of person that I am I just sort of started throwing stuff together and came up with something pretty good. Sometimes it's hit and miss but this time worked out well so I wanted to share it with you. It's not totally exact because, well like I said I made it up as I went, but you'll get the idea.

- 1 pack of frozen chopped spinach (1 cup)
- 2 medium zucchinis chopped
- 1-2 pounds of ground beef cooked
- 1 large can of tomato sauce
- 3 cups of chopped tomato (canned, fresh or frozen, doesn't matter)
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- 2 tablespoons thyme
- any other spice you like!


Cook beef in a frying pan (once done drain out the fat/oil).

In a slow cooker combine veggies, tomatos and spices. Put on medium heat.

Once the meat is cooked add it to the slow cooker. Cook on simmer/low for 4 hours. (I cooked mine over night, it just made it that much better)

I used whole wheat noodles, and raw mozzarella cheese, so tasty!

Candida Diet Supper: Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-fry

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For 2 servings:

1 lb. frozen raw shrimp, thawed
1 head fresh broccoli
1 chopped red pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root

In heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add water, ginger root and thawed shrimp. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an additional 4-5 minutes until vegetables are hot and shrimp is pink.

How to make honey lemon troat lollies

Don't these look great? I'm going to give it a go once I've eaten through all the ones I have in the house (I'm trying not to buy/make in excess!)

Honey Lemon Throat Lollies

2 C. sugar
1/2 C. honey
3/4 C. water

juice of 1/2 lemon

1-2 Zinc tablets, crushed (optional)
1-2 Vitamin C tablets, crushed (optional)

Looks yummy right? Get all the details from the original post at Heart, Hands, Home: Putting Proverbs 31 Into Action

Candida Diet Lunch: Brown Rice Salad with Green Apple and Feta

This sort of salad is not normally my cup of tea but I am always trying to get myself to try new things so here goes!

For 2 servings:
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1/3 cup wild or brown rice

Goat Feta Cheese (small chunk)
1 Green apple

1 Red bell pepper

1 Celery stalk

2 Spring onions

1 garlic clove

Sunflower seeds (handful)
1 Lemon squeeze

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice as directed. Chop up all the ingredients and add everything to a bowl.

Candy Corn Cookie Bark

So I saw this recipe and thought I'd make this one my way too! (Like I do with every recipe right?)


1 1/2 cups white chocolate waffers
1 cup dark chocolate
1 cup crushed pretzel pieces
1 cup crushed chocolate biscuit pieces
3/4 cup candy corn



Lay out a piece of wax paper. Spread candy corn, pretzel and chocolate biscuit pieces on the wax paper.

Melt the white chocolate and pour it over the goodies on the wax paper.

Melt the dark chocolate and spread it over the white chocolate. Make sure you cover all the goodies so that everything sticks together.

Let set. Peel the bark off of the wax paper and brake into pieces.

Enjoy!

How to Use Leftover Candy Canes

I LOVE this video! Thought I'd bring you a little post holiday DIY for all those left overs! Just thing if you can do this with candy canes there's probably a million things you can do with all the other left over this and that's! Hope you're enjoying the season!

A little wine glass education

I figured I better get a little more educated with all the different types of glasses, seeing as I like wine and cocktails and I want to enjoy it all to the max.

Here is some simple information for you to enjoy (preferably while sipping on some wine!).


A red wine glass bowl will be fuller and rounder with a larger opening to allow you to dip your nose into the glass to detect aroma. And, as mentioned above, the complex aromas and flavors of red wine demand a glass with a larger surface area so the wine comes in contact with more air.

For red wine, you may want both a Bordeaux and a Burgundy glass. A Bordeaux glass is taller, yet the bowl is not quite as large. It is designed for full bodied, heavier red wines such as Cabernets and Merlots. The tallness of the glass allows the wine to proceed directly to the back of the mouth to maximize its flavor.

A Burgundy glass is for lighter, full bodied wines such as Pinot Noir. It is not as tall, but the bowl is larger than the Bordeaux glass, directing the wine to the tip of the tongue to taste its more delicate flavors.



A white wine glass bowl will be more U shaped and upright allowing the aromas to be released while also maintaining a cooler temperature.
For white wine, you may also want two types of wine glasses, one for younger, crisp whites and one for more mature, fuller whites.

The wine glass for younger whites has a slightly larger opening directing the wine to the tip and sides of the tongue to taste its sweetness.

The glass for more mature whites will be straighter and taller to dispense the wine to the back and sides of the tongue to taste its bolder flavors.





A sparkling wine glass (or flute) will be upright and more narrow to retain the carbonation and capture the flavor in the beverage.





A dessert wine glass should be smaller to direct the wine to the back of the mouth so the sweetness doesn't overwhelm. Dessert wines generally have a higher alcohol content, making the small glass perfect for a smaller serving.

 
Wine Glasses for Dummies is also pretty good! Check it out here.

Candida Diet Supper: Cabbage Rolls

Don't these look great? I can't wait to make them! I've always wanted to try making cabbage rolls, but it just seems like something I should do with my mom, or an aunt or something, because of my heritage I think I have it in me that this is something I'm supposed to do in a group of ladies. I think either way I'll do it with my mom. Oh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

For 4 servings:
Source

1/2-1 pound of organic lean minced Beef or Lamb
1/2 cup brown rice
1 organic egg
1 head of cabbage
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves
4 tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt

Tear 6-8 leaves off the cabbage and cook in boiling water or steam until wilted enough to be flexible. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl mix the meat, uncooked brown rice, 1/2 chopped onion, egg, 2 minced garlic cloves and salt. Roll the meat and rice mixture in the cabbage leaves and put them in baking dish. For the tomato sauce, sauté the onion, garlic and chopped tomatoes in a wide based pan.

Place the stuffed cabbage leaves in a baking dish, cover with the tomato sauce, add 1 cup of water and cover. Bake in the oven 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt

Thyme and Garlic Ribeye Steak Marinade Recipe

I bought some steaks the other day and wanted to marinade them over night.  I found this great recipe and we had some red wine that was not so tasty for drinking anymore (for Marshall that's after a day) so this worked perfectly. It's also really great if you boil the marinade after and use it as a sauce over top of the steaks.


6 garlic cloves (smashed/chopped)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
½ cup red wine
Coarse salt and pepper 

Mix all the ingredients together, put it in a dish, add the steaks, flip them every 4-6 hours. Marinade over night.  

(Pretty easy right? That's what I love about this!)

Recipe adapted from here

Lamb Masala

Doesn't this look wonderful? I had it a while ago and man I want to learn how to make it. I found a couple of recipes but this one seems to be the simplest, which is where I like to start!

1 tbs ghee
1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs finely grated ginger
1 long green chilli, seeded, finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
800g lamb rump steaks, cut into 3cm pieces
1 1/2 cups (390g) natural yoghurt
2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup (60ml) tamarind puree
Fresh coriander leaves, to serve



Melt ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add coriander and cumin. Cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.

Add lamb. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until lamb browns slightly. Add yoghurt and tomato. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours or until lamb is tender and sauce thickens.

Stir in garam masala and tamarind puree. Season. Remove from heat and sprinkle with coriander to serve.

Candida Diet Lunch: Chicken Quinoa Salad

Chicken Quinoa Salad

Oh I love quinoa!! I am so excited about this recipe! I usually just through in whatever veggies I have to my quinoa along with some coconut milk and we're good to go but it's nice to follow a recipe for a change!

For 2 servings:
Source

1 chicken breast

2/3 cup of cooked quinoa

2 cups of spinach

2 medium tomatoes
1/2 a cucumber

1 avocado
2 shallots

1 garlic clove

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the quinoa as directed. Chop up chicken, pan-fry until cooked, about 5 minutes. Now chop up the veggies, toss everything in a bowl and serve.

Alternative: You could also put the veggies in when the quinoa is cooking! No longer a salad but still a very good meal!

Baking My Way: Brown Sugar Cutouts

I felt the same way about these cookies as I did about the Butterscotch Slice Cookies I posted about a few days ago- boring and they probably don't taste that great. Well the story is pretty much the same- they turned out well, they are super simple but are great with tea or coffee and are a fun biscuit type cookie that you can make in any shape (that makes it a little less boring).

INGREDIENTS

1 cup margarine or butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 1/2 cups Flour

1/2teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS

• In large bowl, beat margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour and baking soda; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours for easier handling.
• Heat oven to 375°F. On floured surface, roll out dough, 1/3 at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness, refrigerate remaining dough until needed. Cut out cookies with 1 3/4 to 2-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 375°F. for 5 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Recipe Source