I'm not sure where this recipe originated.  I think it was in one of those cookbooks put together by little old ladies and sold for $5 apiece in the back of church.  And it's one that I've made so many times that I had the recipe memorized. Or so I thought. As I went to check my copied down version of the recipe, I realized that the way I remembered the recipe and the way it was actually written were vastly different.  I'm sure this didn't happen all at once.  I probably gradually omitted … [Read more...]

Today we're going to talk about one of my favorite things to bake: brownies!  I've come a long way from making the box mix/vegetable oil/eggs brownies, and now we have the added challenge of making them gluten free.  But I still like to keep things as simple as possible.  Luckily, the kids are always willing to taste test when we find a new recipe to try! I cook black beans in the crockpot, and I'm not great with making the exact amount we need, so when we have extra cooked beans, I make … [Read more...]

Peanut butter plus chocolate is one of the best combinations there is.  If you don't feel that way, I don't know if we can be friends.  (Just kidding.  We can be friends.  Because then there's more PB and chocolate for me.) I've been selling granola at our local farmers' market, and this quickly jumped to my most popular flavor.  And it's the one my kids request any time we have granola and yogurt for breakfast or snack.  Because they understand chocolate.  I've trained them … [Read more...]

I have yet to meet a person who doesn't like mac and cheese.  Even if they can't eat it any more because of some dietary reason, they still remember it fondly and wish they could grab a bowl.  It's like the ultimate comfort food. Since the girls are gluten free, I wanted to come up with a homemade version that they could enjoy too.  Every now and then we'll buy a box version from Aldi, but it just isn't the same.  Since we had good luck with this gluten free alfredo sauce recipe, I … [Read more...]

Ingredients: 1/2 lb. bacon 3 carrots, chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 1 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth 2 cups split peas (about 12oz.) 1 tsp. salt (if using homemade broth) Directions: In large pot, cook bacon to desired crispiness.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving bacon grease in the pot.  Add carrots, celery, and onion to the bacon grease and saute until slightly soft, about 5 minutes. … [Read more...]