Operation Fatten Up (Bacon Snacks Round 1)

Because of Tommy's multiple food allergies, he eats a very healthy diet. Now that he's running all over the place, we're starting to worry that maybe he's not getting enough fat in his diet. So we're trying to figure out new ideas for meals and snack time that will help incorporate more fat and calories in his diet. So here comes the bacon. =)

Today I decided to try Bacon Wrapped Apple Slices for his afternoon snack. I tossed apple slices in coconut oil, cinnamon and brown sugar and wrapped them in bacon. What's not to love?! They smelled sooooo good while they were cooking. I used four slices of thick cut bacon, but I think it would be better with 5 slices of regular bacon. Even though the apple slices were very soft after the baking, Tommy had trouble with the peels. So next time I will peel the apple first. 

Bacon Wrapped Apple Slices

1 large gala apple
5 slices bacon
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425° F
2. Cut bacon slices into thirds. Microwave in paper towels for 2 minutes to partially cook the bacon.
3. Slice and core apple, cutting apple into 15 slices.
4. Toss apple slices in melted coconut oil, cinnamon and brown sugar. 
5. Wrap each piece of apple with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
6. Bake for 10-13 minutes until the bacon is cooked. Transfer to paper towels and let set for 5 minutes before serving.

The Unfortunate Incident with the Coffee Grinder (Pumpkin Spice Latte Hack)

I stumbled across my favorite way to make a dirty chai latte at home by accident. A loud, horrible, crunchy accident.

A month ago, Ben and I took Tommy backpacking for the first time. We had a great overnight and Tommy absolutely loved it. We didn’t want to take our wedding rings into the wilderness just in case we lost them. So I had the brilliant idea to hide them in our coffee grinder. I had done that before and had no issues. This time, Ben got his ring out of there early Monday morning. Two hours later I got up, exhausted, and went to make my coffee. I pulled down the coffee grinder, added coffee beans, and turned it on. The horrible crunching sound made me sick to my stomach. I instantly knew that I had left my wedding rings in the grinder.

I burst into tears and called Ben. The first thing I said to him was, “What’s the stupidest thing I could have done?”

Unfortunately, I didn’t really think my words through from Ben’s point of view. And that when his wife and mother of his son called you pretty much hysterical and says, “What’s the stupidest thing I could have done?” his mind instantly went to much more horrible scenarios. Like I dropped Tommy on his head on the tile or I got into a bad car accident. So in comparison, munching my wedding rings was pretty minor.

I poured the coffee grinds and ring pieces out onto a dish mat and began to look for the diamonds. It turns out it’s difficult to find tiny diamonds in a sea of coffee grinds. I thought that I had found them all, but I wasn’t sure.

So now I had a dilemma. I was still exhausted and wanted coffee, but I was afraid to use the coffee grinder again. We still had some instant coffee from camping, so I figured that’d do the trick.

The result was much better than I expected. It turns out it was the best dirty chai (chai and coffee/espresso) I had ever made. It’s like half the calories of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (even with nonfat milk and no whipped cream), vegan and a fraction of the price.

So yes, I make my Pumpkin Spice Latte with instant coffee. And not the fancy stuff either. Just the cheap Folgers stuff. Trust me, when you add the chai mix and milk you won’t know the difference. Well, unless you have a fine coffee palate, in which case you probably should just stick to real lattes.

And in case you were wondering, the diamonds luckily weren't damaged and the jeweler was able to fix my rings. They look as good as new. Diamond Rings:1 Coffee Grinder: 0.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Hack

(This is for a 16 oz mug)

½ cup milk (any kind)

½ cup pumpkin spice chai latte concentrate

1 cup boiling water

1 packet single serving instant coffee

1. Combine milk and chai mix in a large microwave safe mug. Heat on high for 30 seconds.

2. Stir in boiling water and instant coffee.

It's Finally Fall! (Roasted Squash Soup)

Summertime is nice and all, but I don't tolerate heat well. If I get too hot I get crabby and feel ill. It's not a pretty sight. 

I LOVE fall. I love the crisp cool days and not having to worry about driving in the snow. And there is pumpkin spice everywhere! It was a chilly day, but it's supposed to warm up this weekend so I really didn't want to fire up the furnace and then need the AC two days later. So as I hung out in my house in a sweatshirt today, I decided it was the perfect day for making soup. 

This soup Roasted Squash Soup is so tasty and filling. It's like eating liquid pumpkin pie. Even Tommy loved it and asked for seconds. I served it with homemade Rosemary Bagel Chips. And Wasatch Pumpkin Ale. Yum. 

There is snow on the mountaintops and warm soup in my belly. That's a pretty great fall evening in my book. 

Stay tuned....Tomorrow I'll share the secret to my Pumpkin Spice Latte hack. 

Roasted Squash Soup

2 medium acorn squash
2 cups onion, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 cup lite coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Pour oil on a baking sheet and spread, leaving most in the middle.
3. Toss the onions with the oil in the middle of the baking sheet.
4. Cut squash in half and scrap out seeds. Place squash on baking sheet.
5. Bake for 45 minutes until the squash and onion are tender.
6. Let squash sit for a few minutes to cool. Scoop out pulp and discard skins. 
7. In a dutch oven, add the stock, water, salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, onions and squash pulp. 
8. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Puree the soup in a blender or use a stick blender. Return to pan and stir in coconut milk. 

Rosemary Bagel Chips

4 smallish plain bagels or 2 large ones
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Slice bagels into thin slices.
3. Combine all ingredients on a baking sheet and then spread the bagel slices out flat.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the bagel slices turn brown. Let sit before serving.

Leftover Madness Part 3 (Chicken Pot Pie)

I saved the best for last for our Leftover Madness. Chicken Pot Pie. Ben is what you might call a pot pie connoisseur. That man LOVES anything that's covered with a pie crust. 

Just ask our friends about the infamous dinner at the Mangy Moose in Jackson Hole, WY. (I was barely able to convince Ben not to order another whole pot pie dinner at a fancy restaurant by promising him I'd make pot pie the next week). 

I've made dairy free pot pies before, but this was my first gluten and dairy free pot pie. And I think it was the best pot pie I've ever made. Ben said, "You've made magic again in the kitchen." Pretty great compliment coming from Mr. Pot Pie himself. 

I had trouble getting the pie crust to roll out flat, so I wound up having to take little pieces at a time and press them into the right thickness. It sort of looked like a patchwork quilt crust. 

This pot pie isn't going to win any beauty contests, but it was soooooo good. The crust was even flaky! I used my homemade chicken stock and I think that really made it taste better than the chicken broth from a can I have used in the past. I used potato starch in the crust since I have a ton of that, but I would think tapioca or arrowroot starch would work just as well. I think this dough would be excellent for the bottom crust of a pie where you could just mold it into place. I can't wait to use it for pumpkin pie.

Chicken Pot Pie

One pie crust

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 a medium onion, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp potato starch

3/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup lite coconut milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 1/2 cup chopped or shredded cooked chicken or turkey

2 carrots, peeled, diced and steamed

1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 9 x 9 glass baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes until softened. 

3. Stir in potato starch. Cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add stock and coconut milk. Stir until bubbly and thickened. Add vegetables and chicken. 

4. Pour chicken mixture into baking dish. Top with crust. Seal edge and cut slits in several places on crust. 

5. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Single Pie Crust (Gluten, dairy, corn and nut free)

7 Tbsp vegetable shortening

3/4 cup potato starch

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp guar gum

4 Tbsp ice water

1. Measure out the shortening into small pieces and freeze for 30 min.

2. Process the starch, flour, sugar, salt, and guar gum in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and process until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the ice water and process until smooth. 

3. Spread a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Form the dough into a 4 inch flat disk and wrap tightly in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. 

4. Press into the desired shape, working in small batches if necessary. 

Leftover Madness Part 2 (Turkey Tetrazzini with Spaghetti Squash)

The second recipe in our leftover series is Turkey Tetrazzini with Spaghetti Squash. I have fond memories of my mom making turkey tetrazzini after Thanksgiving. I always feel a little nostalgic when I eat it. The recipe I've made before has a lot of Parmesan and cream cheese, but I'm hoping coconut milk will give it a similar richness. 

It tastes surprisingly like the original. It probably wouldn't survive a side by side comparison  but when you haven't had turkey tetrazzini in a long time it's a great knock-off. And the spaghetti squash is a lot less calories than regular spaghetti. It definitely has a coconut flavor, but it's not too overwhelming. I'm looking forward to making this again with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Cooked chicken would work just as well too. 

Spaghetti Squash

1 medium spaghetti squash (~2-3 lbs)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Rinse spaghetti squash and pierce several times with a knife.
3. Bake on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes, until you can easily stick a fork through the skin. Let sit for 30 min to cool.
4. Slice in half and discard seeds.
5. Shred with fork to produce strands.

Gluten and Dairy Free Turkey Tetrazzini

1 Tbsp canola oil
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp tapioca or potato starch
2 cups chicken stock
13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk
2 cups diced cooked turkey
1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
3/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. 
3. Add celery, onion, shallots, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms brown and onions soften.
4. Add balsamic vinegar and starch. Cook for 2 min, stirring frequently.
5. Add chicken stock and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.
6. Simmer for 15 min until thickened.
7. Add turkey and spaghetti squash.
8. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour tetrazzini into dish. Top with breadcrumbs.
9. Bake for 30 min until the top is browned.

Leftover Madness Part 1 (Lamb and Gnocchi Soup)

I did a lot of cooking this week. And we have a ton of leftover roasted turkey from dinner at a friend's house. Our fridge is so full of leftovers that there's barely room for beer. It's a great problem to have, but I can only eat the same meal so many times in a row before I'm sick of it. 

So now it's time to clean the fridge and re-purpose our leftovers. Part 1 of our Leftover Madness is turning the remaining Lamb and Vegetable Roast into Lamb and Gnocchi Soup. This soup is pretty straight forward, and since it was made from leftovers that cooked in the crock pot all day, the flavors are a lot more developed than you would get from a quick soup. I used the leftover sweet potatoes to make the gnocchi and used the leftover liquid from the crock pot and veggies to make the soup.

For a while, Tommy was eating these gnocchi twice a day everyday. I've tried them with a lot of different combinations of flours and starches, and my favorite are millet flour and potato starch. You just mix all the ingredients together, roll into little logs, slice and boil for a couple minutes until they float. They're easy to make in a large batch and the uncooked gnocchi freeze well. You just pop the frozen gnocchi into boiling water and they just take a few minutes longer to cook. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes or pumpkin
1 cup millet flour
1 cup potato starch
1 Tbsp flaxmeal or whole psyllium husks
3 Tbsp hot water

1. Fill a medium sauce pot with water and bring to a boil. 
2. Combine flaxmeal or psyllium husks and hot water in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to gel.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
4. Knead the dough by hand until it can be rolled into a log. If it's too sticky, add more flour or starch. If it's too dry, add water or stock 1 tablespoon at a time.
5. Roll into 1/2 inch diameter logs. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
6. Boil gnocchi in batches for several minutes until they float. Drain and set aside. Serve with sauce or use in soup. 

Lamb and Gnocchi Soup

1 recipe Sweet Potato Gnocchi
1 cup shredded cooked lamb or cooked Italian sausage
Leftover cooking liquid from Lamb Roast
Water
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
Leftover veggies from Lamb Roast

1. Measure leftover lamb cooking liquid. Add enough water to make it 4 cups. 
2. Add all ingredients except for gnocchi to a dutch oven sized pot.
3. Bring to a gentle boil.
4. Add gnocchi and simmer for 15 minutes.

Note: If you don't have leftovers, use 2 cups beef broth and 2 cups water instead of the leftover cooking liquid and add 2 tsp Italian seasoning. If you don't have any leftover roast, use 2 links of Italian sausage cooked in the pot before step 2. 

Easiest Chicken Ever

Some of my family members and I started a crock pot cooking club. Each Thursday someone picks a recipe to share. This week my mom shared her's friend's recipe for a crock pot chicken and stock. I simplified the recipe a little. I've cooked whole chickens on the rotisserie on the grill and in the oven, but I've never made one in the crock pot before. I can't believe it's taken me this long to try it! 

I used to pick up a cooked rotisserie at the grocery store on a semi-regular basis, but I don't know what they use for seasoning so I'm hesitant to give those to Tommy. Cooking the whole chicken in the crock pot was just as easy as picking one up at the store and it was much more moist. Plus, the crock pot was already dirty, so it was really easy to make stock from the chicken bones.

Now I have a bunch of leftover cooked chicken and homemade chicken stock with ingredients I know Tommy can eat! I'm already looking forward to chicken pot pie tomorrow and using the stock in turkey tetrazzini tonight.

I served the chicken with Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Panzanella. It was a beautiful night so we ate outside on the deck. It sure felt like fall with my kitchen filled with delicious smells and the crisp clear air outside. 

Easy Crock Pot Whole Chicken

2 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dry basil

1 tsp dry rosemary
1 large roasting chicken
1 chopped onion

1. Remove giblets from chicken and clean chicken.
2. Place chicken in crock pot. Top with remaining ingredients.

3. Cook on low 4-8 hours.

Easy Crock Pot Chicken Stock

2 carrots, peel and cut into large chunks

2 stalks celery, chopped

Pan drippings and bones from Easy Crock Pot Whole Chicken

Water

1. Add bones back to crock pot.
2. Add carrots and celery.
3. Fill crock pot with water. Leave on low overnight.
4. In the morning, strain and refrigerate or freeze the rich broth.

Why I Don't Ask First

Unless someone has food allergies or intolerances, I usually just cook what I feel like eating. Ben's brother used to live nearby, and more than once I cooked something that I didn't realize he hated (like sweet potatoes) and he always ended up loving it. Tonight it was Ben's turn.

This is how our pre-dinner dialogue went tonight:

Me: "I thought I'd make the red cabbage from your family cookbook to go with the chicken."

Ben: "I think I hated that cabbage."

Me: "Oh."

Ben: "Well, that was a long time ago and my grandma really liked it. My mom probably wouldn't have put it in the cookbook if it wasn't good."

90 minutes later...

Ben: "This cabbage is so good. I think I could sit on the couch and eat the whole pot."

I'm so glad I didn't check with Ben before I bought the ingredients! We'll definitely be making this again. I hope it reheats well since we have a lot leftover. 

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

1 medium head red cabbage, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons bacon fat

2 apples, cored and chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

1. Remove and discard the outer cabbage leaves. 

2. Melt bacon fat in a dutch oven sized pot.

3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour.

Panzanella

What do you do when your friend gives you delicious garden fresh tomatoes? And you have leftover several day old dry Tommy safe rolls and two lonely pieces of bacon? You make panzanella! 

It's a delicious and easy bread salad that conveniently uses both old bread and tomatoes. If you can have dairy, mozzarella is delicious in this as well. Since I tend to make panzanella when my pantry is looking pretty bare, I usually just cut up a couple sticks of string cheese and add that to the mix. 

Panzanella

1.5 cups cubed dry bread (5 dinner rolls)
4 large tomatoes, diced
2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dry basil (or several tablespoons of fresh basil)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine the balsamic vinegar, basil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 
2. Add the tomatoes and bread. Stir well. Let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the bacon, stir and serve.

Lamb and Vegetable Roast

We are in the process of trialing lamb with Tommy, and so far so good! I made a lamb and vegetable roast and it was super easy and delicious. Tommy seems to like the lamb ok so that's a plus.

I served the lamb and veggies with Brittany Angell's Sorghum and Teff Dinner Rolls. The rolls had a nice moist springy texture. I was worried that there would be trace amounts of wheat left in the muffin tins from the last time I made wheat muffins, so I thought the liners would be perfect. Unfortunately the rolls completely stuck to the cupcake liners. Oh well, at least they taste good.

Lamb and Vegetable Roast

4 lb lamb roast

1 large onion, diced

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 Tbsp chopped garlic

2 tsp dry rosemary

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1. Put lamb roast in crock pot.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Not Your Grandma's Potatoes

Ben's grandma has a recipe for DELICIOUS au gratin potatoes. But they contain a lot of dairy and wheat. So I created a recipe for gluten and dairy free au gratin potatoes. Although, since they don't have cheese or breadcrumbs on top, I guess they aren't technically au gratin potatoes anymore. 

I used a combination of canola oil, tapioca starch and coconut milk to make the white sauce. And I topped them with dry minced onions and cooked crumbled bacon. They definitely are not Ben's grandma's potatoes, but they are delicious in their own right. These can easily be vegan if you just leave off the bacon. They have a nice coconut flavor and the bacon on top adds a nice salty crunch. 

Even Tommy liked them, and he usually spits out any white potatoes. 

Not Your Grandma's Potatoes

2.5 lbs red potatoes
4 strips cooked and crumbled bacon
13.5 oz can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tbsp dry minced onion
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tsp dry rosemary
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place the potatoes whole in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes can just be pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside.
3. In a small saucepot, heat the canola oil on medium heat. Whisk in the tapioca starch. Add the coconut milk, rosemary, pepper and salt and whisk. Simmer until thickened.
4. Dice the potatoes into small cubes. 
5. In a 9 x 9 baking dish, combine the potatoes and white sauce.
6. Top with the minced onion and bacon.
7. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Balsamic Carrot Bacon Jam

I’m currently having a love affair with bacon jam. I made Brittany Angell's Bacon Jam two weeks ago and proceeded to eat it for a week. I felt kind of guilty about it, since it contains two whole packages of bacon.

I decided I wasn’t ready to break up with bacon jam. Instead, I came up with my own lightened version. I subbed carrots for one of the packages of bacon (trust me, it works), left out the maple syrup and added some balsamic vinegar.

IT IS STILL AMAZING! And not as bad for you. Win win.

Tonight we made bacon jam buffalo cheeseburgers, roasted onion potatoes and roasted broccoli. So yummy. I seasoned the ground buffalo with salt, pepper, and a little gluten free soy sauce. Tommy had half a buffalo patty, some potatoes and maybe a bite of the broccoli. Tommy probably could have the bacon jam, but we haven’t trialed whiskey, balsamic vinegar or cayenne pepper yet. Oh well, more for Ben and me. 

Balsamic Carrot Bacon Jam

12 oz bacon

1 onion, sliced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup whiskey

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Cook bacon in a medium saucepot until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and reserve 1 Tbsp bacon grease.

2. Add carrots and onions. Cover and cook on medium low for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Remove lid, add brown sugar and cook until caramelized.

4. Deglaze the pan with the whiskey. Add the cooked bacon and remaining ingredients to the pan.

5. Cover and cook on low for 30 – 60 minutes stirring occasionally

6. Puree in a food processor until smooth. 

Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

Tonight we made Teriyaki Chicken Bowls. This was a simple and delicious meal. It's definitely joining our regular rotation. I cooked everything other than the millet in the crock pot. Unlike Turkey Pepper Stir Fry, the teriyaki chicken tastes delicious over the cooked millet. And the edamame is a nice change from green peas (especially since Tommy can't eat those anymore). 

Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup frozen shelled edamame 

1. Optional: line crock pot with crock pot liner. Add chicken thighs.
2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic. Pour over the chicken.
3. Cover and cook on high for three hours.
4. Add green onions and edamame to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook on low for one hour.
6. Serve over Cooked Millet

Pantry Pizza Night

Friends of ours got married this last weekend, and my mom came into town to watch Tommy. It was a very fun but very busy weekend. I haven't gone to the grocery store in a few days and our fridge is looking pretty empty. 

Last night I made my fish tacos and I had some leftover mango salsa. I didn't have any red bell peppers yesterday, so the mango salsa was just mangoes, yellow onion, green onions and lime juice. And we still had some leftover pork from the pork pot roast. So tonight we had pantry pizza. 

I made a pizza sauce from items I had in the pantry and topped it with pork, mango salsa, vegan mozzarella, and olives. It's my take on a Hawaiian Pizza. 

The vegan mozzarella wasn't all that bad. This is the first time I've used this cheese substitute and it was easy to shred. It sort of melted too. And it's the only cheese type food I've found that doesn't contain something Tommy's allergic to.

It was delicious, pretty quick, and best of all I didn't have to go to the store. I think this is our best pizza yet.

Pantry Pizza Sauce

6 oz can tomato paste
6 oz water
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dry minced onions
1 tsp dry minced garlic
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. This made enough to for two pizzas.

Crock Pot Liners (Pork Pot Roast)

One of my favorite products is the Reynolds Crock Pot Liners. They’re heat safe plastic bags that you put in your crock pot before you add all your ingredients. It makes cleanup super easy. And according to the Reynolds website they’re BPA free.

I love cooking roasts in the crock pot, but I used to dread the cleanup. The watery/fatty liquid leftover after cooking a roast was too watery to go in the trash and too fatty to go down the drain. Sometimes in the winter I would leave the crock pot outside so the fat would harden. But then you have one or two day old nasty crock pot mess. 

But now with the crock pot liners, I just tie them up and put them in the trash. It’s a sad day when I forget to use a liner. The liners do sort of leave a white stain on the black crock pot, but it's a small price to pay for the easy cleanup.

Before the Cooking

Throw the Yucky Baked on Grease Away

After. It's Almost Clean Enough to Not Need Washing. Almost.

FYI, this is not a paid endorsement. I just really love this product.

Tonight we had pork pot roast. It was easy, delicious and made the house smell good all day. I served it with some Tommy safe rolls and we all gobbled it up. I love the crock pot.

Pork Pot Roast

2 lbs. boneless, lean pork roast

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp dried rosemary

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks

2 medium onions, diced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1. Place pork roast in slow cooker.

2. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary.

3. Add remaining ingredients.

4. Cover. Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 7-8 hours.

Poblano Pepper Vent (Turkey Pepper Stir Fry with Cooked Millet)

One of my favorite go-to meals is turkey pepper stir fry. It’s easy to prepare and doesn't have many ingredients. We usually eat this several times a month.

For some reason all the grocery stores here label poblano peppers as “pasilla peppers.” I have no idea how this trend started. Pasilla peppers are dried chilaca peppers. Poblano peppers are fresh, and even in the dried form they’re called ancho chiles. The other day a cashier apologized to me because now instead of saying "pasilla peppers", the poblanos ring in as something completely different. I told her that's ok, pasilla peppers was incorrect too. She looked at me like I was a nutcase. 

This is a pasilla pepper. 

This is a poblano pepper. 

We love this stir fry over white rice, but since Tommy’s allergic to rice, he gets the stir fry over cooked millet. Cooked millet tastes a lot like brown rice. It has sort of a nutty flavor and lots of fiber. I think the flavor is kind of overpowering for the stir fry, but it's a good substitute if you don't want to have rice or are looking for something to get your intestines flowing. And it's cheaper than quinoa.

If you've never heard of millet before, don't worry, I hadn't either. It's an ancient gluten free grain that's now mostly eaten by livestock and people in Africa. And Tommy.

Turkey Pepper Stir Fry

20 oz ground turkey
2 large heads of broccoli, or 3 small ones

2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

2 poblano peppers, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

Chili garlic sauce (optional)

1. Steam the broccoli in a large skillet. When the broccoli is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl.

2. Add the ground turkey to the pan. Cook over medium-high heat. When the turkey is almost cooked, add one tablespoon of soy sauce. When the turkey is cooked, add it to the large bowl.

3. Add one tablespoon of canola oil and turn the heat to medium. Add all the peppers. Cook until softened but not browned. When the peppers are almost done, add one tablespoon of soy sauce.

4. Add the broccoli and turkey back into the pan, add one more tablespoon of soy sauce and stir. Cook until the turkey and broccoli are warmed.

5. Serve over white rice or millet with chili garlic sauce.

Cooked Millet

½ cup hulled millet

2 cups water

1. Add the millet to a medium saucepan. Run your fingers through the millet to look for little rocks.

2. Toast the millet over medium heat stirring frequently for approximately 2 minutes, or until it starts to smell toasted. Be careful not to burn the millet.

3. Add the water and cover. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Do not open the lid and do not stir while it’s simmering.

Breakfast Waffle Sandwiches with Bacon Jam

This morning we made Brittany Angell’s Breakfast Waffle Sandwiches with Bacon Jam (http://realsustenance.com/breakfast-waffle-sandwich-with-bacon-jam-gluten-free-paleo/). OMG they are amazing! I made the bacon jam two days ago. Yesterday we had the bacon jam on some baguette with a tomato herb goat cheese. This morning I made the Breakfast Waffle Sandwiches.

It’s all the delicious aspects of a full waffle, bacon, and egg breakfast but much easier to make once you have the bacon jam.

Tommy just had plain waffles dipped in maple syrup, but he was happy as a clam. And sticky like you wouldn't believe. When Tommy was done, he started to bring his syrup covered hands up to his head. I said, “No Tommy, don’t touch your head!” So which he replied, “Head!” and touched his head with both hands with a big smile on his face. Ah, yes, that is your head. Good job. 

Ben learned the hard way that these sandwiches are filling. They look like they would be pretty small, but all the whole grains make it very hearty.

Overall it was a completely satisfying new take on breakfast for us. I highly recommend the recipe. And Brittany Angell has several recipes for waffles so just chose the one that meets your needs. I don’t think we’d want to eat this every weekend, but we’ll definitely make it again.

The Infamous Fruit Ketchup (Coconut Chicken Nugget Dinner)

I saw on one of my favorite websites, Brittany Angell’s Real Sustenance (www.realsustenance.com), that she had a recipe for baked chicken nuggets that used coconut as the breading. I thought that sounded delicious. And since chicken nuggets are just begging for a dipping sauce, I thought it’d be the perfect time to try making my own ketchup.

I LOVE the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It has so many interesting recipes. They have a couple different recipes for ketchup, and one of them was a fruit ketchup. It seemed to be a pretty straight forward recipe and I would only need to modify it a little. He had previously had all of the ingredients I used except honey. And he had only had ground mustard twice. (We were trialing mustard with a German potato salad, but Tommy doesn't really care for white potatoes so he wouldn't really eat it.)

I spent one whole afternoon making the ketchup. I had to peel and dice all the fruits, cook the mixture, run it through a food mill and then reduce the juices. Then I canned the ketchup. 

The whole process took about four hours. I felt so proud that I had made my own ketchup for Tommy that wasn’t filled with any mystery spices or “natural flavors.” And it was delicious.

When I was finally done canning the ketchup and thoroughly exhausted because I had gotten up early that day, I was really ready to take a break. But right then, as if on cue, Tommy woke up from his nap. By the time Ben got home from work I was getting pretty crabby.  But I was still feeling like a domestic goddess for making and canning my own ketchup.

For dinner I made the coconut popcorn chicken from Brittany Angell’s Real Sustenance, Roasted Mixed Potatoes, and Garlic Roasted Broccoli. I cooked all three dishes in the same oven and everything was ready AT THE SAME TIME. I was pretty proud of that. I felt like I had totally rocked making dinner.

Tommy loved the ketchup. He was dipping his chicken nuggets like a pro. About ten minutes into dinner I noticed a little hive on Tommy’s cheek. Sometimes he gets a random hive here and there and we usually attribute those to our dog. As he kept eating, a few more hives appeared. It then became pretty clear that Tommy was allergic to something in the ketchup. So it looks like either honey or mustard will be added to the allergy list.

It was so defeating. I had spent all afternoon making that stupid ketchup. I really thought I was making one that would be safe for Tommy. And after all that work, he can’t eat it after all.

On the plus side dinner was DELICIOUS! The ketchup had a nice sweet and spicy flavor. I imagine the taste will only continue to improve the longer it sits on the shelf. The chicken nuggets were nice and crispy, and the broccoli and potatoes really rounded out the meal. Best of all the whole dinner only took me like an hour. Not including making the ketchup…

I’m not abandoning the plan to make a Tommy safe ketchup. But next time I think I’ll just use cane sugar and leave out the mustard.

Coconut Chicken Nugget Dinner

Game Plan:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F

2. Peel and chop the potatoes.

3. Combine the potatoes, oil, salt, pepper and rosemary in a roasting pan.

4. Put the potatoes in the oven and start a timer for 40 min.

5. Wash and cut the broccoli.

6. Toss the broccoli with the oil and garlic on a baking sheet

7. Place broccoli in oven when timer reads 30 min.

8. Combine coconut flakes, salt and pepper in a gallon sized bag.

9. Cut chicken into nugget sized pieces.

10. Add chicken to the bag and shake to evenly coat the chicken pieces.

11. Place chicken nuggets in oven when timer reads 20 min.

Mixed Roasted Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes

3 small russet potatoes

2 Tbsp canola oil

½ tsp dried rosemary

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Peel and chop all the potatoes into approximately one inch cubes. Combine all the ingredients in a 9” x 13” baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring twice during the cooking.

Garlic Roasted Broccoli

2 large or 3 small heads of broccoli

2 Tbsp canola oil

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Wash the broccoli and peel the stalks. Chop the broccoli into florets and slice the stalks. Toss all the ingredients together on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through the baking. 

Coconut Popcorn Chicken (recipe by Brittany Angell)

http://realsustenance.com/popcorn-chicken-grainnutegg-free/

I used 1.25 lb chicken tenders cut into approximately inch long pieces and only 1 cup of coconut flakes. And I tossed the chicken, coconut and salt and pepper in a gallon sized bag instead of a bowl. This made it easier and less messy to coat all the chicken pieces. Since I used chicken tenders instead of chicken thighs and baked them at a higher temperature, they only needed 20 min.

Infamous Fruit Ketchup

Makes about five 8 oz jars

4 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed

4 cups chopped pitted peeled peaches

2 cups chopped cored peeled apples

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 cup honey

½ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1. In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine tomatoes, peaches, and apples. Over medium low heat, using a spatula or large spoon, mash the fruit until the juices flow. Add onion and garlic. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover, and boil gently until fruit is heated through and onions are transparent. About 15 minutes.

2. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Working in batches, run the mixture through a food mill or sieve placed over the saucepan to extract all the juice. Measure out five cups and discard the solids.

3. Add the honey, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, about 45 minutes. It will be thinner than commercial ketchup.

4. Meanwhile, prepare canner, lids and jars.

5. Ladle hot ketchup into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until finger-tight.

6. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Add 10 minutes additional time if boiling around 4500 ft altitude. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool for 12-24 hours and store.