[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. :)

[No sugar added] Tropical Yorbet

The other day I was cleaning the kitchen and came to the realization that my pineapple and two
mangoes were getting dangerously close to overripe. I didn't want a smoothie because I prefer my smoothies with banana in them and I was out of bananas. A fruit salad wasn't sounding terribly appealing to me either. I decided to grab my blender and ice cream machine from the cupboard and play. I tossed in the mangoes, half the pineapple (I let the kids munch on the rest), a cup or so of coconut milk, and 16 oz. of plain Greek yogurt (although vanilla would go nicely as well).

Foodie Wedding Favor Idea

Spice Blend Wedding Favor

I love weddings - planning, sewing, decorating, attending, singing, playing piano, etc. - so I was really excited to attend the 1920's themed wedding of some friends. They had fabulously simple and elegant decorations, which makes me wish I would have remembered to bring my camera. The dresses worked perfectly with the theme as well as complementing every body type (yes, the seamstress in me comes out hardcore when I attend weddings). But the things that I loved most were the little expressions of who the bride and groom are. The groom is a chef so the favors were little packets of a spice blend that the he'd put together. They are simple, unique, and inexpensive. All you need to create these are:

• jewelry sized ziptop baggies
• printable labels and a computer to design them on
• spice blend of your choosing/creation

They had these in little baskets all around the reception for guests to take home. Since we're total foodies, my hubby and I loved it!

Menu 2014: March 31-April 27

Is it time for a new menu already?!?!? Wow! Time has just been flying by lately and my brain can't seem to keep up. If it wasn't for my calendar and reminders on my phone, I don't know if I'd remember anything. Anyway, the weather has begun to warm up and most of the snow/ice is gone. Yippee!!!! I am looking forward to being able to eat out on the deck and at the picnic table since the house (all 850 sq. ft of it) gets a little claustrophobic during the winter months.

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...

Chocolate Lovers' Cake

This is by far my favorite chocolate cake recipe. I use it for birthday parties all the time. It's moist,

flavorful, and so much better than store bought without taking a ton of time to make. It also uses ingredients that most people have in their pantry.

Bitter Blanc Marbled Cheesecake

We love date nights, but then I think every parent enjoys a night out away from the chaos that comes with raising children. With that in mind, Jared and I decided to plan a date night activity for our "Homebuilders" Sunday school group (those who are engaged, newly married, or married with minor children at home). I enjoyed hunting down recipes and deciding on a menu for the evening. We wanted to plan an elegant dinner with salad, appetizers, fresh bread, main entrees, sides, and, of course, dessert. I LOVE to bake, which might be a reason why I still struggle with my weight. :) Anyway, I decided that one of the desserts needed to be a chocolate marbled cheesecake. So I tweaked my regular chocolate cheesecake recipe and it turned out AMAZING! It was rich, silky, chocolaty, and delicious.

Menu 2014: March 3-30

Time is just flying by this year. I find it hard to believe that it is already March, but then, the weather here seems to agree with me. We've had SEVERAL sub-zero temperature days and lots of snow in the last couple of weeks. I am SOOOOOOO looking forward to spring! I am attempting a slightly different menu format. Each week will consist of a spicy food, a comfort food, an ethnic food, a soup or sandwich, a slow cooker meal, and/or a miscellaneous dish. So here goes...

but I don't want to tell you why

Miss E had quite an emotional flare up today during school. She didn't want to work on writing her letters neatly so she threw a fit. While talking with her about her wrong behavior she informed Daddy (who just happened to be home during the flare up), "Mommy won't let me do my schoolwork, but I don't want to tell you why." We both had a hard time not chuckling at that statement, but it made me stop and think. How often do we want to tell only our side of a disagreement? How many times do we refuse to deal with our part in a problem? We need to learn to take ownership of our wrongdoings and work at correcting them instead of just blaming the other person(s) involved. Just something I was reminded of today while parenting.

Menu 2014: February 3-March 2

We've had an extremely busy January, lots of travel, extra work, and even a few funerals. Our van broke down but God provided a replacement. School is halfway done for the year and it's been awfully cold here, which makes me somewhat antsy to leave on our cruise. I get to spend a whole week with my hubby and six of friends on a boat in the warmth of the Caribbean. I plan to enjoy some reading, extra sleep, quiet, etc. I will also be picking up some Mexican vanilla when we stop in Cozumel. I am already thinking ahead to some baking... Anyway, back to the task at hand. Here is my plan for February's menu - Sandwich, Spicy, Misc., Breakfast-for-Dinner, and Comfort Food.