And It's Gluten Free too?

Digging around in the fridge....mm....what to make for dinner. Want something easy....then went digging in the freezer and voila! Found items I froze awhile back (cranberries, diced onion, sliced turkey breast, bell pepper, sliced zucchini) and knew...."Layered Turkey and Cranberry Enchiladas"! (recipe found in Jan's Recipe Book... jansrecipebook.com ) It's an enchilada baked casserole dish so easy too! Dinner was exceptional!.....later, I was digging around in the fridge....mm....what's for dessert.   Just kidding....found a piece of walnut cake in the freezer when I was digging earlier..... :)                         

In the local paper!

Here's the link to the article in the local paper!   http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1190&ArticleID=43145

"Italian Meatballs with Sun Dried Tomato Pasta"

This dish is one of my all time favorites! If I had a "signature" dish this would be it! It's a family favorite as well. I've made it many times and used different brands for some of the ingredients and it still never fails to please. I do exactly as my recipe instructs (from Jan's Recipe Book) and tonight was no exception to that and as usual it was fabulous! A nice glass of cabernet sauvignon with dinner perfected the moment. Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and all my other "No's" who would have known it could taste so good! Happy cooking!

Yes, I'll use my oven in the summer!

Tonight's feast was oh so scrumptious! "Whole Clove Garlic Chicken" baked to perfection.The chicken is so tender it just falls off the bone! So I spent a little more time in the preparation of this dish but then once its in the oven I relax and wait. I prepared some asparagus to serve along side and some pesto pasta using fresh basil. Its one of those meals that leaves you feeling completely content and satisfied.

Quick and easy always works for me!

I was going to do the grill again but I just didn't feel like lighting it. Hubby was out doing photography so I needed quick and easy and he can eat later. I can't give him a hard time about fixing dinner because he has been cooking! (Which proves anyone can follow my recipes if he can!) Last night we had "Ground Turkey Tacos" always a favorite and he makes them right from my recipe book. For tonight's quick and easy dinner, I made "Cajun Shrimp" over quinoa pasta with a small side salad tossed with "Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing". It was of course delish! I saved some for him....nicely!

A Little Tart! A Little Sweet! A Lot of Yum!!!!

I know there are people who would argue this but not every great dessert has to have chocolate! "Cranberry Walnut Cake" (gluten free, dairy free, soy free, etc.sweetened with agave syrup)  jansrecipebook.com

It's summer so light up the grill!

I wanted to have something to go with a chilled pasta salad and fresh ears of corn for dinner. I had some fresh chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) so I decided to put them on the grill. I love that charbroiled flavor! One of the recipes from my recipe book, "Grilled Lemon and Oregano Chicken Skewers", has a fantastic marinade and that's what I used on the breasts. I cooked and rinsed the pasta (preferably brown rice pasta shells) then tossed it with about 1 cup of my "White Wine Vinaigrette"(also in my recipe book). I then chilled the pasta salad until ready to serve then topped it with sliced almonds, dehydrated cranberries, and some crushed rice chips. The corn on the cob I boiled until done (5 to 6 minutes). Instead of using butter on the corn I use extra virgin olive oil which I keep in a spray bottle. After marinating the breasts (about 20 minutes) I grilled them on low for 45 minutes or until they are cooked thoroughly in the center. It was a great summer meal!

Not just a snack!

Last week I made some of my "Yummy Nut Bars" (recipe can be found in my recipe book) so I could have food for snacks or on the run. They are really great! I like to keep them in the refrigerator. I think they would last several weeks in the refrigerator. I'm not really sure because my family loves them and so there are none left in the refrigerator long enough to find out. When I make them I hide a few in the freezer (for me). This morning I was wanting a cool breakfast so I made a bowl of fresh cut fruit and crumbled a "Yummy Nut Bar" over it. Wow! It was really great! Sometimes I forget how restricted my diet is when it tastes so good!

Cooling down for lunch on a blazin' hot summer day!

Today's lunch?... "Chicken Strips with Honey Mustard Dip" from my recipe book. They are so crispy good it's hard to believe they are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and the rest of my "No's". I usually will have a salad or some kind of veggie with them but it's just too hot out today. (it could reach 110* out today) So instead of a veggie I had cold slices of cantaloupe and honey dew melon. They went well with the crispy chicken strips. My recipe actually calls for chicken breasts cut into strips but chicken tenders work just as well since that's what I had............ I actually get a weekend to chillax so I may get into my creative mode for a new recipe......I'll ponder that thought.