Mayonnaise

The last time I tried to make homemade mayonnaise, I made the mistake of using only extra virgin olive oil. It did not work! This time I tried another recipe I found online called Basic Mayonnaise. It worked perfectly! The mason jar tag chain I used to label my Mayo can be found at Etsy.

Mayonnaise

2 Eggs

2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2-1 tsp Fresh Pressed Garlic

3/4 c. Oil (I used grape seed)

1/4 c. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

2 tsp Mustard

Mix in Ninja until thick for about 1 minute.  Very good in chicken salad. Look how thick and creamy it is!

Enjoy!

Eggshell Plants

Making your own eggshell plants can be a fun Easter craft or candy alternative for an Easter basket gift. You can plant flowers, herbs, or veggies. Assemble them with the kids as a fun project or put them in your kids’ Easter baskets. They can use the plants for their own garden this summer. They will have fun eating out of their own garden, or if they choose to they could even sell the produce they grow.

Eggshell Plants

You will need:

• Seeds
• Containers
• Potting soil
• Eggshells
• Nail

Instructions: Find a container.

Or Eggshell.

Add potting soil to container or Eggshell.

When using the eggshell be sure to poke a small hole in the bottom of the shell.

This allows water to drain.

Add seeds.

Water and wait for plant to grow.

Transplant outside after threat of frost is gone.

Enjoy!

French Toast Fiasco!

Have you ever come across a recipe that looks so good and easy on Pinterest and pinned it to try out later? Well I have company coming to stay with us, and I am looking for some shortcut, inexpensive meals. I went to my Pinterest board to see what I had pinned. I came across crock pot french toast. Seemed like a good fit. So I tried it out and here is what I got…

Crock Pot French Toast

6 pieces of Bread

1 1/2 cups Milk

3 Eggs

Dash of Cinnamon

Since I was trying a new recipe and we don’t typically eat french toast, I just did a small batch in a 3-quart crock pot.

I added olive oil to the bottom and sides of the pot.

In a bowl I added milk, eggs, and cinnamon and then mixed.

Added bread to the crock pot.

Poured ingredients from bowl onto the bread.

Turned cock pot on low overnight for 6-8 hours. I checked at 7 hours.

In the morning this is what I saw.

When I dug into it, this is what I get…yuck! Way too mushy. So glad I tested this out before the company came!

Another Pinterest recipe that is not what it is cracked up to be. It is possible I just happened to pick a bad version of the recipe, but I think I will stay away from crock pot french toast and make mine on the stove from now on. 😉

You’re welcome for being the guinea pig. Hope you enjoyed my lesson learned.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Keeping things simple in my kitchen is important to me. One for the most frustrating things for me when looking at gluten- and grain-free recipes is seeing a long list of ingredients that I do not have on hand and which would be expensive purchases for just trying a new recipe that my family may or may not like. My goal was to find or convert recipes to minimum ingredients that I have on hand regularly. Here is a recipe I came up with for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies 

• 1/2 c Butter (soft)
• 1/2 c Peanut Butter
• 1 c Sugar
• 1 tsp Molasses
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2-1 tsp Pure Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 1/2 c Oatmeal (old fashioned)
• 1/2 c Coconut Flour
• 1/4-1/2 c Chocolate Chips

Mix ingredients. Scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Coconut Flour Waffles That Work!

Coconut Flour Waffles that work! I found this recipe at The Unrefined Kitchen and had to try it out. 

Coconut Flour Waffles

Makes 5-6 four-inch waffles

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp.  cinnamon
1/3 cup almond milk or coconut milk
1/4 cup sifted coconut flour
1/2 Tbsp. honey

Directions:
1. Put all the egg whites in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a second mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and all the rest of the ingredients.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter mixture and gently mix until egg whites are incorporated.
4. Pour appropriate amount onto your waffle iron and cook. (On my waffle iron, I put 1 to 1 1/2 cups of batter on it and cooked for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes.)
5. Serve with fruit, pure maple syrup, and/or coconut whipped cream!

Enjoy!

Deep Dish Pizza (Grain-Free)

Who says you can’t have deep dish pizza if you are going grain free? Thanks again to my fabulous sister-in-law Angie for this recipe.

Ingredients

Servings: 12

• Coconut Flour
• Tapioca Flour
• Oregano
• Pepper
• Salt
• Eggs
• Milk
• 1 lb. hamburger (browned)
• 1 (15 oz.) can pizza sauce
• 1 lb. Mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. 2/3 cup Coconut Flour
3. 2/3 cup Tapioca Flour
4. 2 tsp. Oregano
5. 1/4 tsp. Pepper
6. 1 tsp. Salt
7. Mix above items and then add:
8. 4 Eggs
9. 1 1/3 cup Milk
10. Mix and pour into greased 9X13 pan
11. Sprinkle hamburger on top
12. Bake 30 min. at 425°
13. Remove from oven and add sauce, cheese, and veggies
14. Return to oven for 15 min.

Enjoy!

Brownies (Grain-Free)

Here is another awesome recipe from my talented sister-in-law Angie! I made these grain-free brownies last year for Valentine’s day. I used a cookie cutter to shape them into hearts for the occasion.

Ingredients

Servings: 12

• 1 c. butter, melted
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 c. cocoa
• 1/3 c. coconut flour
• 1/3 c. tapioca flour/starch
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. In separate bowl, mix cocoa, both flours, baking powder, and salt. Mix everything together and beat until smooth. Pour into greased 9×13 pan and bake for 23-25 min. at 350°.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes (Gluten-Free)

Here is another recipe that I enjoy from the Hip2Save webpage. FYI: They freeze well too.

Ingredients

Servings: 12 cupcakes

• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 3/4 cup almond butter (you could probably use another nut butter and get similar results)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon liquid Stevia (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Add coconut oil and banana in a Vitamix or blender. Blend everything until smooth. In a bowl, add the cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Now dump the coconut oil mix in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is incorporated. Once finished, decide if you want to make an 8×8 cake or 12 cupcakes (make sure to grease your pan well or use cupcake liners or parchment paper).
2. For cakes, bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes
3. For cupcakes, bake at 350° for about 20 minutes

Chocolate Frosting

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips in saucepan with a little coconut oil and Stevia. Chill in freezer for a few minutes and then spread on cupcakes. You can also sprinkled chocolate chips on top of the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Oat, Chocolate Chip, Butterscotch Bars

Here is a recipe I reworked for Oat, Chocolate Chip, Butterscotch Bars. I added coconut flour instead of regular flour to be gluten-free and made my own sweetened, condensed milk to make this a little healthier (by no means healthy!) treat.

1/4-1/2 cup coconut flour
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, cold and cut up
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk (I made my own)
1 cup extra-dark chocolate chips
2/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13 pan (use butter).
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, oats, brown sugar and salt. Pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture is dry and sandy.

Reserve 2/3 cup oat mixture and press remainder on bottom of the pan. Bake 10 minutes.
Pour sweetened, condensed milk evenly over crust. Mix together chips and coconut flakes and sprinkle in an even layer across the condensed milk.

Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture over the chips and press down slightly.
Bake on center rack for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and sprinkle a few more chocolate and butterscotch chips on top.

Let cool completely, and then cut into bars. They will be more crumbly than the kind made with wheat flour.

Enjoy!

Pear Dressing

This is one of my favorite dressings. I found it on Hip2Save.

Pear Dressing

1 ripe pear, peeled and chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, either minced or pressed
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1/3 cup white vinegar
A few drops of Stevia (optional)
1 tablespoon of mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Blend everything (but olive oil) in a blender. Once blended, drizzle the olive oil slowly into the dressing and continue to blend until combined.

Enjoy!