Bye-Bye Crockpot

“Everything’s impossible until somebody does it.” – Batman

Yep, it's a goner! 

Ran the dishwasher and then while unloading it I grabbed out the lid to my new crockpot and it just shattered all over the place. Big shocker!!!

While the shock wears off, head on over to my favorites gluten free (you will never know these recipes are gluten free) Crockpot website. A Year Of Slow Cooking She has a recipe for EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR!!! Our faves are the Rotisserie Style Chicken it rivals Costco! and Refried Beans, I do add a bit of bacon grease to these

Always read to the bottom of Stephanie's recipes because she give you a review by her family and any tweaks that she decides to make after they try the recipe.

Enjoy, while I shop for the new Crockpot or many an InstaPot???

Moe

FREE Spices from my favorite spice company!

Penzeys Spices has a brand new website that is really simple to use now. They are offering a free 1/2 cup jar of any of there spices (excluding Saffron) with any $5.00 purchase. These make really awesome Christmas gifts and wedding gifts. My cabinet is full of Penzeys Spices. They are also great at answering allergy questions.

Come and get your coupon for FREE 1/2 cup jar of Penzeys Spices.

Here are a few of my all time favorites!

Cake Spice, I use this in my oatmeal, Amish Baked Oatmeal and pancake/waffle batter.
Ground Caraway Seeds, I use this in my pork recipes
Italian Sausage Seasoning, I use this when I buy fresh ground pork and make my own breakfast sausages.
Buttermilk Ranch, don't let the name fool you, there is NO buttermilk in the seasoning. I use this to make dairy free salad dressings and dips. This is also really good sprinkled on mashed or baked potatoes. And super yummy sprinkled on baked chicken breasts.

I like how I can buy small or medium sized bottles or I can buy a larger size bag. I buy the Cake Spice and the Buttermilk Ranch by the bag full!

Stop by Penzeys Spices website or one of there brick and mortor locations. I've been to a few of the locations and love all the recipes that are sitting out by the spices. Like them on Facebook too!

Moe

Carve Out Some Time For Pumpkin Goodies!

I've been doing some beeboppin' around today for My Let's Get Cooking Series brings you fall time goodies from Gluten Free Homemaker's blog.

Pumpkin recipes galore including:

Gluten free and dairy free pumpkin pie!!

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Chili

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

and many more!!

What are you waiting for??

Jump on these recipes and take the chill out of your home with some baked goodness from Linda's blog.

Enjoy!!

Moe

~Let's Get Cooking Series~

During my Let's Get Cooking Series, I plan to beebop and hop around the net to some blogging sites that I frequent and give you some tips and tools to find great gluten free recipes to make your home life easier in the kitchen. As a wife, homeschooling mom, daughter of a Mother who lives nearby who needs constant care, I lead a busy life. I know that your life never stop either!

All the recipes in this series can be made either gluten free or with gluten, so don't run away if you are one of my readers that is NOT gluten free.

So the Let's Get Cooking Series is kicking off today with some AWESOME recipes from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. Hop on over and check her out! Tell Lynn that Moe sent you from Adoptive Mom Home Schooling An Only Child blog.

40 Ground Beef Recipes
Lynn's Kitchen Adventures has some wonderful meals that could be easily made gluten free. Stop by her blog and  check out the 40 recipes that she has on there.


Taco Soup photo from Lynn's Kitchen Adventure blog

We are pinching penny's right now in our household due to my husband being hurt at work and ground beef tends to go a long way in recipes. I plan to make a number of these in the near future.

Many of these recipes look like they could be easily changed to gluten free and also look freezer friendly. Easy swap outs would be regular noodles for gluten free noodles. I think that these recipes will be easy enough for a Gluten Free newbie to try out and enjoy.

Lynn also has a Gluten Free button on her site for more recipes. Always check your ingredients and make sure that you are using gluten free.

Warm up with a nice hot meal on the cheap!
Moe


 Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Corn Free recipe....YUM!

I was cleaning out the refrigerator and found some goodies to make these Cheesy Potatoes with Bacon.

 

Moe's Easy Cheesy Bacon Taters

I sliced up some potatoes, fried them up in some oil, drained them and then added on some cheese (use dairy free kind if you need to) and then crushed up some crisp cooked bacon. YUM! Easy meal to go with scrambled eggs. Sometimes something good comes from cooking with scraps.

Fall Is In The Air!

 

No gluten cheating going on here! Time to make some Pumpkin goodies! I have a week of cooking & baking ahead of me since we are heading out of town for some much needed fun! I'll give you an update on our fun at a later date as I don't have all the plans laid out just yet. I busy getting food cooked and packed for myself for the trip, always a fun job! lol.

 

As for our homeschool we are in full swing and getting ready to take our fall break. Love schooling year round, because we ca take off during our favorite seasons and fall is one of those times.

 

Stop back by for an update our our fall fun!!

 

Missed The Call From The Mayo Clinic Doctor :O(

Well as I was getting ready to teach a class at the local college, I noticed my cell phone vibrating. I did not have a missed call, but had a voicemail. Guess who? LOL (really that should be NLM or No Laughing Matter) It was my Mayo Clinic doctor calling with my results and also to tell me that he was going out of town for awhile. How on earth could this be that I missed his call. Though he did have some good news for me, he told me that my lab tests all came out fine, but that there was more to talk about and discuss. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Well I guess we will just have to wait until he gets back in town.

So we wait and wait and wait a bit longer. The child says "Mom, maybe the Lord wants to you to learn patience?"

I'm spending my days of waiting on the phone call by trying to unearth piles of junk mail that have accumulated while I have been ill. Boy does being ill bring about a whole new perspective on things. I am thrilled to be able to do housework again, is that weird or what? lol. Though leaning over into the washing machine to get that last sock out is a killer, I'm short and have to really lean into the machine and it hurts my body, I still feel very bruised if I lean on something. Hoping that will go away soon.

Stop by my blog

http://adoptivemomhomeschoolinganonlychild.blogspot.com/

Yummy Gluten Free, Corn Free, Dairy Free recipe

I was over at today and came across this recipe for Zuppa Toscana click here to find out what that is!! Zuppa Toscana Recipe. This recipe is so yummy looking, I plan to make it next week when I go shopping, I need to buy the sausage. Now you will notice that the recipe calls for sausage and bacon be sure to use corn and gluten free meats. If you need to be dairy free also, sub the milk for your choice and the cheese for Daiya brand. Stop by and see what other goodies Erica has on the Confessions Of A Homeschooler blog.

Enjoy!
Stop by my blog

http://adoptivemomhomeschoolinganonlychild.blogspot.com/

20% off Gluten Free Goodies!!

For a limited time, ALL Gluten Free products in the Hodgson Mill Store are 20% off. That's right: 20% off! At checkout, enter code GLUTENFREEDOM to get your discount. This is a great opportunity to try and enjoy the brand new Hodgson Mill Gluten Free CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES not sure if it's dairy free or not with the chocolate chips.

Head on over to the Hodgson Mill Blog to find this recipe to make Gluten Free Chocolate Tarts with Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse for your gluten free sweetheart on Valentines Day!

 

What do I plan to buy with my 20% off?

Milled Flax Seed I use it in my peanut butter cookies, desserts and homemade breads, adds a nutty flavor and also fiber.

Pasta

Gluten Free Seasoned Coating Mix,

 

I use these weekly in my home. The kids that visit

our home never know that the pasta or the chicken nuggets are gluten free, they just gobble it all right up!

 

Some of the products do contain corn so please read labels before buying.

 

Enjoy!

Moe

p.s. I was just relaxing in the recliner getting my evening IV antibiotics and though of all my readers :O)

Exciting News for 2013!!!

I am really excited to announce that I have been chosen to be part of the Review Crew of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine was first introduced to me by my friend Lori, she began home educating way back before homeschooling was fashionable.  lol. She has 1 college graduated daughter, 1 daughter in college and 1 senior in high school left. Lori has been a wealth of knowledge over the years and I'm so glad that she introduced me to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  The magazine is REAL, with REAL people and not full of just happy homeschooling articles. They share the good, the bad and the ugly of home education. You will read the magazine and come away with ideas, hope and blessings. Not a feeling of failure or envy of what others are accomplishing.

I'm thinking that January will be the first month of reviews. I am pretty excited!

Our 2013 is starting to take shape on our calendar. We have some fun 4-H activities coming up like our Christmas party, cupcake decorating and a sewing class. I know I have a boy, but every boy/man gets holes in his clothes and needs to learn to sew.  I'll being hanging out in the class too, maybe I can pick up a few tips. I'm also teaching some gluten free cooking classes at a local college. 2013 will be here before we know it! What do you have planned for the new year?

Moe

Beef Stew slow cooker recipe

It's finally cooling off here a bit so I've started cooking some hearty meals around here. I use my crockpot/slow cooker all summer long, but when it's time for school to start, I get that slow cooker crockpot really fired up! This time I made some Corn Free, Gluten Free & Dairy Free Beef Stew.
I found some flank steak on sale, cut that up into small pieces, cut up some organic carrots and added some garden fresh green beans. Poured in 2 cups of water (I don't always add water to my crockpot, but I wanted some beef broth to put in the freezer), added some fresh ground pepper, about 3 teaspoons of Grandmas Molasses (corn free & gluten free-had to call the company to find this out), 2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce (corn free/gluten free brand), 1 tablespoon of Bragg Liquid Aminos (tastes like soy sauce to me but with less sodium and it's also Certified NON-GMO liquid protein concentrate), if you don't have Braggs, just add more soy sauce, and finally I added a teaspoon of Sea Salt.
If you don't have the allergy restrictions you can add mixed veggies, corn, mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes and whatever seasoning sounds good to you.

I'm sort of funny about my beef, I like it very tender. So I put it in the crockpot for 3 hours on high and then about 5 hours on low. You can just leave it on low all day or put it on high for 4 hour.

I did not serve anything with this since I'm sort of doing a rotation diet so as not to get another allergy started. But this would be good with the beef stew and juices poured over mashed potatoes, rice or brown rice pasta. 

Next week I will share my new dairy free, corn free and gluten free cantaloupe sorbet recipe.......SO EASY!!  I'm loving my new ice cream maker BIG TIME!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Moe

Gluten FREE & Corn FREE recipe

Carla's Gluten Free Recipe Box had a wonderful recipe this week that you just have to try! gluten free vegetable soup. This can be corn free if you make your own broth or use a corn free broth and check the beans for corn in the ingredients. This sounds so good for those rainy days we have been having here.  Easy lunches for those last few days of school too.

Enjoy!
Moe

Neat recipe site

By now you know that I am a sucker for any recipe website.....lol. I can't pass one up, I've got tons of cookbooks, I just need to use what I have. hahaha. But then along comes a website like this Angelas Kitchen from my friend Megan. I clicked on it and looked around, saw some a gluten free, special diet, whole foods, and traditional menus with recipes. Off to the side I found some others including CORN FREE!!  (they have soy free, pork free and many others too!) What a wealth of info!

So check her out and see if you can find something new to eat, she even has once a month cooking plans.

Moe

Sugar & Spice & every thing nice

My frugal gal friends have given me a tip about Penzeys.com a wonderful looking spice company. They have a very nice catalog that you can request, they have coupons and specials. They also have retail stores, none near me, but you might look them up. The catalog is not just a selling point for their products, it contains readers stories and recipes. It's well worth requesting.
I have not ordered from them as of yet, spoke with a helpful customer service rep today regarding gluten/corn in their products and I was referred to an email address. So I am waiting to hear back from them.

I cooked up one of the recipes Classic Saffron Rice and it was WONDERFUL! I used some ground Saffron that I got from a friend that went on a missions trip down to Grenada, I plan to take her a bowl of it to sample when I see her tomorrow. Everyone here liked, had a nice mild flavor, next time I think I will add a touch more. The recipe can be found in the latest edition Spring 2012 catalog. I don't have permission to post the recipe, so just call or email them and ask for a catalog. The issue that I got offers a coupon $5.00 off a purchase of $10.00 or more! I plan on using that if I get good news on the products not containing corn/gluten.

Recipes can be found here for many yummy looking dishes.

Please let my readers know if you have ever bought anything from Penzeys Spices.

Thanks & Bon Appétit,
Moe

Changing things up a bit.

Had some time to mess around on here tonight. Changed some pictures while my dear sister-in-law took our son for the evening after we went out for all you can eat fish fry.......lol. I ate my allergy free chicken pot pie and crustless pumpkin pie, but had fun socializing with the all you can eat fish fry eaters. Ran in to our neighbor who has cancer and shared with us that he will be going to The Cancer Treatment Centers of America this month for a 2nd opinion, prayers for him and his journey would be appreciated.

I've taken Kiara's idea and started thinking more about what I CAN eat instead of what I CAN'T eat. Grocery shopping is still hard since corn (one of my main allergies) does not have to be listed on the label. I actually called Kroger foods today to find out if their cream cheese and brown sugar were corn free, the lady acted as though I was an alien....lol. She told me that cream cheese in itself does not have corn in it, but Kroger cannot control what the cows that provide the milk for the cheese eat in the field, they might eat corn.........LOL.  I shall be calling again on Monday to speak with yet another helpful agent.

I did get an interesting allergy sheet in the mail from my doctors office regarding corn allergies. Yet another laugh out loud fest. The first item that is listed is milk and it's only to be bought in glass containers, ah, yes, where am I to find that? Then there is the listing of "not to be consumed from waxed cardboard containers." Yes corn is really in everything. I'm thinking that is what a large part of the health issues in America are all about gluten and corn.

Today I went for blood work and I don't know how many vials of blood that they took, but it was a lot! They are doing more allergy testing through blood this time. I go back at the end of the month, so we shall see what the doctor says then. I'm not really noticing any difference besides not having a flushed face during or after I eat. I also think potatoes factor in somewhere as my joints ache the day after I have eaten them.

Big grin here, I can hear little baby peep cheeps coming from the basement chick nursery, so sweet.

I've found some great allergy-free cookbooks that I will share next time. I'm reading through them to see which ones are worth heading on over to my favorite hang out Amazon.

Have a great weekend!
Moe

FREEBIE just for you!!

I came across this great resource this week and am filling mine out today!!  The weekly menu planner from the simple natural nourishing blog. This is going to be a great help in using up what I have in my freezer. I have cleaned out the bottom shelf of my freezer. YEAH!

Have a wonderful week!
Moe

Teaching kids survival skills

I came across this great blog article and thought I would share it.  I run into so many moms that have kids in public or private schools who say that they can't teach their kids anything because there is no time with them being gone all day at school. This article has some neat ways to teach these things even if your kids are gone all day. Survival Skills for kids helped me to see the importance of these things and how they can be worked in to the lives of our children.

4-H is something that has helped us to, our son can read the 4-H books about the subject we are looking at tackling and then we put our hands and feet to work on it. 4-H is free in most areas and "It's Not Just For Farm Kids Anymore!" Many inner city clubs have popped up across the country. Most clubs meet 1x per month for a meeting. 4-H is a great way to learn new skills that will be used for a lifetime and it also helps us get something out of our tax dollars that we pay in as 4-H is part of the US Department of Agriculture.

Have you taught your kids any survival skills? Share with us.
Moe

Gluten Free & Dairy Free French Bread

YUM!!!! This was my first attempt at using my Chicago Metallic Commercial Perforated French Bread Pan that my husband bought me for Christmas. Amazon sells them and they are wonderful!
The recipe I used was from 100 Best Gluten Free Recipes by Carol Fenster and was called French Yeast Bread. I got it from the library for free and you probably can do the same through inter-library loan.

The bread was very tasty and had a wonderful mouth feel to it. I've never shaped a loaf of french bread so it does not look like Panera Bread's, but it sure tasted good! Our son said it was even good without any spread on it. It had a nice crunchy outside and that fluffy yummy inside. I liked it better than the $8.00+ packages of Schar's bread. I'll let you know how it tastes after it sits over night, ya know sometimes gluten free tastes really good out of the oven and not so great the next day. We shall see.

Enjoy!!
Moe

Soup Supper anyone?

This is day 11 in my own pantry challenge and I found some soups hidden away in the cabinet. Soup suppers can be a very frugal way to feed your family. Think ahead in the day and get the bread machine out too. Make some sort of yummy bread, that always makes a meal seem special, or swing by the grocery store and pick up a loaf of crusty french bread if you are not gluten free. Pop a pan of brownies in the oven too. It's little things like that, that keep my husband from saying "Were only having soup?"

Also you might think about adding to your soup or mixing flavors, sometimes I will mix the Chunky soups or Progresso ones. Such as 2 different types of beef soups or 2 different types of potato soups and add some extra corn, green beans, peas, carrots, canned potatoes, whatever your family likes, this way it sort of bulks up the soup, as my guys don't care much for runny soups. Sometimes I add a bit of cornstarch (1/2 cup cold water to 1 tablespoon corn starch, stir it up well and add to boiling soup, stir until thickened, about 3 minutes).

If you make a potato soup you might try sprinkling some cooked bacon on top or a touch of cheese (if you can have dairy) and even some parsley. YUM!! Search the web for some very frugal potato soup recipes!!

For the homeschooling mom soup suppers can be a huge blessing!! Easy meal, no planning and you can even let the kids pick 'their own can of soup'. Or you can dump all the ingredients into the crockpot first thing in the morning, get the bread machine up and running and dinner cooks while you teach. What a blessing a soup supper can be.

Enjoy a soup meal each week and I bet you will save a few calories and $$ in the new year!

SOUP's ON!!

Moe