The blog I rarely attend

I made a batch of crispy almonds but my lovable 3 year old kept saying she didn’t like almonds. How could she?! Who doesn’t love  almonds?! After all, I went through great lengths to obtain these raw almonds and  soak them to reduce phytic acid  and then dehydrate them. And click  here  to read directions on soaking nuts. Click  here  to get some  raw California almonds . I was determined to get her to like them. Then I found a recipe…that had way too much sugar in it. I changed it knowing that much sugar is not necessary and made these amazing cinnamon almonds that my 3 year old now begs to be in her lunch box everyday!  Not only do these crockpot cinnamon almonds make a fantastic snack, but they would make a great gift bagged up with a pretty bow (think Christmas) and even better, they make an awesome cereal! Yes, I said cereal. Take 1/2 cup of these finished cinnamon almonds, put them in your blender and pulse a few times, pour them ...

Something about tomato soup is comfort food and making a dish with this creamy tomato sauce always feels the same way to me. This is such a fancy little dish that is so easy to create at home. In fact, this dish was so good, I was glad for the extra sauce because I tipped my bowl up to drink what was left! I added eggplant to this dish in an attempt to use it up from my CSA box and I must say, it’s the best way I’ve had eggplant ever! I confess that eggplant is NOT one of my favorite vegetables because I haven’t found a way to enjoy it.  Creamy tomato sauce goes great with chicken and just about any veggies you like to throw it. You can even cook your chicken in the sauce but I like to enjoy the crispy skin so I opted not to do this, plus the crispy skin adds an additional texture to the dish. All you need for this dish is butter, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and cream. Basil and red hot pepper is optional but I think those 2 ingredients is what takes this dish up another notch!...

I received a ton of squash in my CSA box last week and there’s only one squash dish I could think of that would be suitable. My husband’s Granny makes the most unbelievable cornbread squash stuffing. I made a huge pan of it and I could smell Thanksgiving around the corner! This dish does take a little extra work (well more than my usual recipes) but totally worth it. I use my  gluten free cornbread recipe  to make this a gluten free dish. Cornbread squash stuffing is great way to use a lot of squash but don’t try this recipe if you are afraid of butter. But if you are afraid of butter, I challenge you to use real butter made from cows on pasture eating grass under the sunshine and read this article on why  Butter is Better .  I adapted Granny’s recipe since I refuse to buy canned soup, plus I used way more squash which was an accident because I misread her recipe but it worked!  Here’s my version of it. Bon appetite! Ingredients 5 cups crumbled corn b...

Oh mac and cheese! The one comfort food that kept me from crossing over to the real food frontier forever. That is until I discovered this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese recipe that allowed a viable replacement for pasta. And I kid you not, my husband’s exact words were, “I’ll never lust for another bowl of the old mac and cheese.” Course it doesn’t hurt that bacon is included in this recipe.  Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that I was never a huge fan, as in I never ate it. But I have a whole new love for it and its versatilitiy. Cauliflower is super high in Vitamin C and contains many other trace minerals our bodies need. This is a vegetable worth getting to like! And this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a great recipe to introduce someone to cauliflower.  You can make additions or subtractions per your family’s taste. Bon appetite! Ingredients 1 large head of cauliflower, florets chopped off into bite size pieces 8 oz shredded jalap...

I’m a gadget person but my favorite place to have gadgets are in the kitchen. Gadgets just make life easier. And since I love cooking, my favorite gadgets tend to be in the kitchen. There are my top non electrical 5 gadgets that just make my cooking life easier and/or fun.  My  zoodle maker ! That’s what I love to make zucchini noodles with it. It’s really called a  spiral cutter.  I’ve also done carrot noodles, parsnip noodles and squash noodles too. There are lots of cheaper ones, but this one is sturdy and I’ve owned mine for 2 years. If you think you’ll love veggie noodles, then I recommend  this one  because it is more versatile because it will allow you to do bigger things like butternut squash or apples.   My  Lemon Juice Squeezer ! I use a LOT of lemons. I love to drink fresh lemon juice in my water, cook with lemon juice and more. I use it EVERYDAY! My  bacon grease saver ! Do I need to say more? I love cookin...

Oh how I love this time of year when kale is about to be in season which means inexpensive! I could eat some everyday! Surely, I do not need to tell you all amazing this leafy green is for you. I’d consider it a super food and if there was one vegetable I’d say you should make yourself like, it is kale! This antioxidant packed veggie is high in Vitamin K, A and C as well as a great source of many other trace minerals. It’s known to lower your risk of cancer and support your body’s detoxification system. ( 1 ) I received several beautiful bunches of kale in my CSA box that I used for kale chips last week and then was craving more. I picked up some beautiful red leaf kale for one of my favorite side dishes because I was craving more kale. I never thought I’d say those words. Kale was a vegetable that I wasn’t exposed to until my adult years. I could just eat a whole bowl of this raw asian kale salad myself! It’s best to make this dish 1-2 hours in advance so the flavors get a c...

One of our  favorite  breakfasts is waffles! Who doesn’t love a Belgian waffle?  We loved them so much, my husband bought me a  fancy double  Belgian waffle maker  like this  one  so we could replicate restaurant style waffles. I have tried several recipes and while all of them were good, none were easy. Until this one. Plus I love this recipe because it’s packed with more protein and healthy fats and won’t leave you hungry like typically refined, simple carb filled flour waffles. I can usually eat half a waffle and I’m full. You can add all sorts of extras too. This morning I added 1/4 cup of chia seeds and walnuts.  It does take a little forethought because the rolled oats need to be soaked overnight, but well worth it. The great thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to have a waffle maker, you can use this same recipe to make pancakes instead. And you can also freeze these gluten free oatmeal waffles and pull them out for br...