Texas Caviar Casserole

Tex-Mex is a favorite cuisine in our family. Rice, beans, cumin, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, cheese, etc., it's all good. I love how this recipe combines all those flavors into one big dish. This dish is inexpensive, versatile, full of flavor, and contains a variety of textures. It can be used as a main dish by adding meat to it, a side with or without meat, an appetizer with tortilla chips, breakfast (leftovers topped with eggs and hot sauce), or maybe even a bedtime snack. The vinaigrette can also be used as a marinade or salad dressing for other dishes. It easily feeds 6-8 people.

Versatile Chipotle Vegetable Chili

We all love Tex-Mex, and chili is a favorite. I have recipes for white chicken chili, traditional tomato based chili, and cowboy skillet (basically chili cooked in a large cast iron skillet topped with cornbread batter and baked). When I saw a recipe for sweet potato and black bean chili I decided to get creative. It was delicious and has become a new favorite for my hubby. I have made it 3 or 4 times and am finally getting the recipe posted for you. The great thing about this dish is it's versatility. You can use whatever veggies you have in the house. You can use up leftover turkey after the holidays. You can even make this recipe for your favorite vegetarian by leaving out the meat and using vegetable stock.

[Gluten Free] Chocolate Zucchini Cake

There are days where I almost feel as if I've got zucchini coming out my ears so I've been working on recipes that use zucchini. I've substituted shredded zucchini for the spinach in my baked meatballs, made up a roasted veggie pasta dish with zucchini, and even made a GF blueberry lemon zucchini cake with lemon cream cheese frosting (which is SO delicious and you can't eve tell that it's GF). When I signed up to bring snacks for a fundraiser, I just knew that I needed to try something with zucchini. Since the fundraiser was a bike ride with three different options (10 mile route, 20 mile route, and 40 mile route), I needed to make a carb-loaded finger food. I opted to play around with my blueberry lemon zucchini cake and make chocolate zucchini cupcakes. Sorry that their isn't a picture but I forgot to take pictures before the fundraiser and they were gone afterward. I will try to get pictures the next time I make it! :)

[Gluten Free] Blueberry Lemon Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

[Gluten Free] Blueberry Lemon Zucchini Cake
with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

It's blueberry season around the midwest and zucchini season will be here soon enough. I know I need to finish using up the stuff that is in the freezer from last season as I'll have to make room for this year's harvest. Now, I should probably tell you that I adore anything with lemon - pies, puddings, cakes, etc. I don't think I've ever tried something lemon without loving it. With that in mind, when several of my friends posted a link to I am Baker's blueberry zucchini cake with lemon buttercream on Facebook I knew that I needed to try it.

Creamy Turkey and Rice Soup

We enjoy brining and roasting turkey for Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving since my hubby isn't a huge fan of ham and grilling steak for 6 people isn't as cheap as turkey. The only problem is using up the abundance of leftover turkey. There's only so many dishes that you can throw together, oh so I used to think. I came up with this recipe a few months ago and it has continued to be a big hit with our family. It's an inexpensive meal and my kids usually eat one and sometimes even two helpings without a fuss, which is always great.

[Gluten Free] Blueberry Balsamic Chocolate Cake

The hubby and I really enjoy to cook for and entertain friends, and tonight was no different. We had a

childhood friend of Jared and his sweet fiance down for fittings, a visit, and dinner. They have changed their lifestyles and eating habits in a way similar to us so we wanted to make something delicious and low-carb for both dinner and dessert. We served grilled tuna steaks (chicken for the kids) with mango pineapple salsa and wasabi, wild rice medley, and a garden salad for dinner. It was so good, mostly because my hubby was in charge of the proteins. Miss. E. helped me prep the salad and wild rice medley early in the afternoon so that my portion of dinner prep would be done in advance. That way I could focus on wedding gown and tuxedo fittings, which I think I enjoy a little too much. :)

I knew dinner wouldn't be difficult to do low carb and low calorie, but dessert tends to present more challenges in regard to that. We got some beautiful balsamic vinegars from Fat Louie's while we were on our 10 year anniversary getaway last October and I have been dying to try them in dessert. I looked up a few low carb chocolate cake recipes (because chocolate and balsamic pair really well together) but none of them were just right so I went to the kitchen to play like a mad cooking scientist. :) What I came up with was absolutely delicious. It was decadent, yet it didn't leave you with that feeling in your stomach like you overdid it. The cake was almost fudgy in consistency yet not overly sweet, the blueberries added a nice pop of freshness, and the chocolate balsamic glaze gave it the perfect balance of bitterness, sweetness, and tang to cut through to creamy cake. The best part of all was that it was simple to make. Here's what I did...

Peanut Butter Cookie Dip

Apparently, the kids enjoyed it. :)

I love "dessert" type dips with my apple slices (or celery), but a lot of them are high in sugar and thus high in carbohydrates. A couple of months ago I attended a meeting with a dietitian and she suggested this as a good low carb substitute to caramel dip. This dip is low carb, gluten free, and can be made sugar free. Plus, it helps that it's delicious.

Kale Salad with Lime Dressing

Yummy!

This summer we are sharing a garden with our neighbors and decided to grow kale as both our families enjoy it. I like kale in soup, salad, smoothies, etc. and our kale has done fantastically well. With the kale doing so well and us trying to eat healthier, I decided to make a kale salad for our ladies mission society's annual picnic. The nice thing about a kale salad is the fact that it really doesn't wilt. You can make up most of this salad the day before and then just add the remaining ingredients a couple of hours before serving. It also pairs nicely with some grilled chicken if you decide to make it a "Salad as a main dish" sort of night.

[Crockpot] Tex-Mex Rice Bowl

I thoroughly enjoy a good crockpot meal on Sundays (or any day that I'm at the office).
You know, the kind that's simple, quick, and ready to eat as soon as I get home from church. Well, this is that kind of dish. It takes about 15-20 minutes of prep time and 4 or more hours in the crockpot. Our family loves Tex-Mex food so it's also one of those meals that I don't have to "force" the kids to eat. Bonus!

[Allergy Friendly] Coconut Minis

Bite-sized Coconut Cookies

With so many of my favorite (non-familial) people being gluten free, I've been looking for some new recipes to have on hand in case of company. I am a big fan of coconut, which made my choice of flour an easy decision. I've done a little experimenting with coconut flour and it is a very absorbent flour. You need to bring a ton of "moisturizers" to the party or the coconut makes it really dry. I did some peeking around and found a cookie recipe that sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. I did make a few adjustments since I just can't leave well enough alone. :)

Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Deli-style Turkey Breast and Homemade Stock

The finished product, YUMMY!

We love deli sandwiches and wraps here, but deli meat is so expensive and often leaves much to desired in the flavor department. Since attempting deli roast beef last year, I have wanted to try my hand at other deli meats, namely turkey. So after stopping by the deli only to find that turkey was a whopping $4.48/lb on sale, I decided to pick up a couple of turkey breasts while I was at the store, which I got for $1.99/lb. I know that some of the weight is the carcass (ribs, wings, and such) so I knew I'd probably only get about half the weight in actual meat but decided that having some homemade stock on hand would be a good thing. I will admit that the process takes a few days to complete but it's fairly easy to do and taste A-MAZING. So here goes...

Blackened Chicken over Dirty Rice

The hubby and I really enjoy spicy food (and the kiddos are beginning to). I have always been a fan of blackened chicken so I decided that it was high time I attempted some. It was so simple, spicy, moist, and delicious we will definitely be making it again! You can prep your chicken (pound and lightly rub with oil ahead of time) and seasoning mixture ahead of time (combine and store in an airtight container), then quickly throw it together at suppertime. I used the spice rub from Guy Fieri's Cajun Chicken Alfredo and served it with my version of Emeril's Dirty Rice.

Salted Caramel Sauce

It all started out because of Starbucks' Salted Caramel Latte. Everything went downhill from there. I love caramel, BUT adding salt to it really takes caramel to a whole new level. I'd made homemade caramel before so I figured I could learn how to make salted caramel. I decided to play around with this recipe from Cooking Channel and it came out absolutely delectable!

Grilled Honey Cinnamon Plums

This is such an easy and delicious dessert to make on the grill while plums are in season. Top your freshly grilled plums with homemade whipped cream, vanilla frozen yogurt, or lowfat ice cream.

• Plums (however many you what to make, you can get about 4 thick slices out of one plum)
• Cinnamon
• Honey

Directions

1. Sprinkle plum slices with cinnamon, then drizzle with honey. 
2. Place on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes each side. Serve warm with any of the above mentioned toppings. 

[Guest Post] Grain Free Pizza Crust

I have several friends who are allergic to gluten and one of them recently shared a recipe with me that she

developed for grain-free pizza crust. I asked if I could share it here for your benefit and she so graciously agreed.

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 1/2 cups of tapioca flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut flour

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium sauce pan, combine the butter, water and salt and bring to a boil. 
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic and then the tapioca flour. 
4. Combine well and let cool for about 5 minutes. 
5. Next add in the eggs, combining well and then the coconut flour. Knead the dough until it comes together nicely. 
6. Plop the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread it out with your fingers. 
7. Place it in the oven for 35 minutes. The underside should be a golden brown. Take out, and top with your favorite toppings. 
8. Place back in oven at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes, until the cheese is melted & browned. Enjoy!

Pepper Crusted Steak with Mushrooms and Onions

I really wanted a major "wow factor" type entree for our last Dinner at 8pm. We'd had a super busy and stressful couple of weeks leading up to it so I needed something amazing yet quick and easy. This pepper crusted steak recipe is all of those. The flavor is "out of this world" good, super tender and juicy, and, best of all, simple and easy!

Pear Butter: A Fall Treat

When went to the old house for a few days to check on things and discovered that the pears were ready to be picked. Since we didn't get a chance to spray for bugs and things, they weren't really "for eating" pears but they have lots of flavor so they work well in baking and such. I gathered a decent sized plastic totes' worth and brought them home. I didn't have a lot of time so I knew that I needed something that I could make in the crockpot. That's when I remembered a Pin I'd seen for crockpot apple butter and I figured Pear Butter was a good alternative so off I went to experiment.

Salted Caramel Bacon Ice Cream

salted caramel bacon ice cream

Today was Battle: Bacon for our Homebuilder's Group (young married couples and families with minor children) at church. Everyone was to bring a bacon dish(es) for a fellowship dinner/food competition. I wanted to be as creative as possible so I decided to make a caramel ice cream and use bacon instead of nuts (kind of a twist on a maple nut or butter pecan). I got on Pinterest to see if anyone else had done something similar and found several recipe ideas. I wandered through each of the recipes and picked out my favorite ideas. It turned out great and even won best overall bacon dish. It combines a couple of opposites, sweet'n'salty along with smooth'n'crunchy, and it is also a VERY decadent dish so you can only handle about 1/2 cup before the richness overtakes you.

Grilled Green Beans and Carrots

Grilled Green Beans and Carrots = YUMMY!

I needed a veggie for dinner the other night but wanted to make it on the grill. Mr. R has an aversion to summer squash and zucchini (it's a texture thing, not the taste) so I really didn't want to make that. What other veggie can be made on the grill that all my kids like? Hmmmm...then I saw it. A recipe for green beans and carrots on the grill (thank you, Pinterest!). Now, you know me, I can't leave a recipe alone so here's my take on it.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops

I had gotten some beautiful thick cut pork chops from the store the other day and wanted to do something delicious with them. I came across a recipe for Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops and decided that was the way to go. I wasn't disappointed, they were yummy in my tummy (and the kids seemed to think so as well).