Dinner Tonight

Well i am so excited about the way dinner turned out I had to share a picture. I think coconut chicken will be a new favorite of mine and ds liked it to so double yeah.

new producted i tried

OK I needed brownies yesterday for my friend Darci's birthday dinner (happy 25th if you are reading girl), so I pulled out a box of Gluten Free Pantry Chocolate Truffle Brownies that has been in my cabinet for a while. I have been afraid to try them for some reason which is beyond me now because they were fabulous. The brownies turned out to very rich and moist. My son said they were better than the other brownies I made before (sorry Bob Redmill). I will definitely be baking these again

prepping for next week

So it is the weekend which means I need to shop and prep for next weeks meals. Yeah! Ok I was so excited yesterday because my grocery store had fresh coconuts and pineapple in, so I only had to buy canned mangos. I forgot how hard it was to crack a coconut though, so I only cracked one so far. I cut my hand on the shell doing that one but it will be worth it for fresh flavor instead of that dried over sweetended bag coconut. I will be posting pictures with my recipes throughout the week as these are new recipes to me. Keep your eyes out to see them and hear what i thought of the dish.

On another note though I was very tired last week and let ds eat school lunches all week. Well now I think he possably is a celiac too. So now I will have to watch his diet more closely to be sure and if I get an appoint with the gi doctor next time they come here I will talk to him about his symptoms.

menu swap for march 17th (coconut)

I am so excited i found this idea. It gives me a chance o try so many new foods and recipes by focusing my whole weeks menu around one ingredient. I kinda feel like Iron chef.

monday: chicken strips, french fries, and a fresh salad

tuesday: cheese quesidila with coconut mango salsa

wensday: grilled steak, coconut risotto, and asparagus

thursday: pasta with cilantro coconut pesto sauce and caprese

friday: coconut brown sugar ribs, baked potatoes, and a salad

saturday: Seared Pork Chops with Coconut Rum and Caramelized Pineapple Sauce, white rice and steamed carrots

sunday brunch: cheese blintz, and bacon

dinner: nice plain chicken noodle soup to give our palletes a break before the next exciting ingredient (cant wait :))

i will also bake coconut pineapple bars on the 16th for desserts this week

first batch

OK so yesterday I was to sick to go to work in the morning. Then I found out that ds had a half day of school when I did get to work and my neighbor (who works with me) came in from her lunch break with dd. So I had to rush home to get ds; good thing i left the door unlocked for the housekeeper(that didn't show up because she didn't know about the half day either). Anyway so i decided i would use the afternoon to try making a batch of energy bars. Well that did not workout so well. My first batch was a flop but I did learn from it, so hopefully my second batch will be a success. I have to work so it will be friday before I get another chance.

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Well I am dragging today. It will be awhile before ds hosts another sleep over since I was up til 3 am and I cant remember ever staying up that late sober before. But I was inspired this morning. I need protien energy bars. Something I can grab and go on busy workdays or eat for a quick burst of energy.So this week I will be researching ideas for a power packed yet totally yummy power bar. Stayed tuned for next weekends baking to see what I come up with.

barbaque ribs

So for dinner i made barbaque ribs. baked potatoes. and green beans. Of course i am a southren girl with a taste for carolina sauce which i cant find here and traditional sauce is way to sweet and thick for me. This means time to make my own. Yeah! so here goes



my carolina style rib saue



2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup sweet white wine

1 Tbs cumin

1 Tbs curry powder

1 Tbs paprika

1 tbs Mrs Dash table blend

1 Tbs tarragon

1 Tbs fresh crushed garlic

1 box pectin



mix everything but the pectin together and simmer for 20 minutes. strain out solids and add pectin. bring sauce up to a boil for 5 min. at this point you can can the sauce or let it cool and freeze extra sauce.

Ok so now you are think canning I thought you were trying to keep things cool and lets face it 30 somethings dont can, grandmas do right.

wrong, look at it this way would you rather say to your friend "Hey at your barbaque this weekend I thought maybe I could bring my special barbaque sauce for everyone to try." They dont have to know where you got the recipe

or

"I am a celiac and have to avoid gluten which is derived from wheat, barley, and rye, so I can not eat certain brands of barbaque sauces which one will you be using at your party"

Plus your friends will be impressed because they will not know how easy canning is. All you have to do is throw the jars in the dishwasher and the lids in a pot of water heating up on the stove. When the sauce is done pour in warm jars put the lid on and set on counter top for 5 min upside down. Turn the jars over and wait for the little buttons to pop down.

the search is on

So I have been diagonsed for a year now but I am just at the point where i am accepting this as my life. I know those 2 people reading are thinking what is she talking. Well i am talking about the life altering little known autoimmune diease that is Celiac sprue. i mean are you kidding 30 years of eating whatever i want and now you tell me all my favorite cookies pizzas and pastas are slowly killing me. Ok but then i learn that gluten is in everything i eat, are you kidding. So now i am starting my journey of teaching myself a whole new way to cook, cooking the GF (Gluten Free) way. Also how to attend parties and functions without sacraficing.

So stay tuned as i figure this out