Seriously...

I know you know the phrase, no good deed goes unpunished... boy has today felt like that. While trying to make a cheesecake, I had pressed in my graham cracker crust and was going to pick it up (the spring form pan) and move it over by the stove, when I picked it up the bottom of the pan fell out and out went the crust all over the floor... that's the kind of day it has been!

Thankfully I had enough ingredients to redo the entire crust, but by the time I cleaned it all up and set to making a new one... well tic toc goes the clock! And to show you just how befuddled I was... usually when I cook, I'm a clean as you go kind of gal, because I rather dislike all the clean up at the end...

Oh well, dinner won't have a lot of clean up so I suppose I will survive :-)...

Okay on to better things, our lovely beds are a bloomin!  Even the camillia which usually is all done by the start of March has to decided to continue blooming!  She's a beaut!

 Next up are the long beds (I only got one good shot of the very front one, maybe later I will try to grab a better one of the one closest to the house) with irises, tulips and daffodils.  The daffodils are on their way out, while the tulips and irises are just making their appearances!

Happy Spring!

Cheesey Souffle

My first souffle!  Of course, I was make a large batch and really didn't know how full to fill the little ramekins (she uses larger ones on her recipe, which I didn't notice until after I began mixing everything)... they did rise to the top, but soon after settled in!  They were so cute... so puffy... so TASTY!  I highly recommend this recipe for Parmesan Cheese Souffle!

Tasty and stuffed

This weekend we were looking to try something different and tasty... off to the 5 Ingredient Fix list to see what looked like it would hit the spot.  Stuffed Pork Chops and Rice Pilaf, of course!  And boy was is GOOD!

Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped prunes
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 3 tablespoons lemon olive oil
• 4 pork loin rib chops, 1 1/2 inches thick
• Course salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces goat cheese

Directions

In a bowl, mix the prunes and almonds with 1 tablespoon of lemon olive oil.

Cut a pocket on the side of each pork chop from the fat side to the bone. Season the outside of each chop with salt and pepper, to taste. Stuff each chop with 1/2-ounce of goat cheese, pushing it to the bottom of the opening, then stuff with the prune mixture. Secure with toothpicks.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon olive oil in a large shallow Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chops on both sides until golden brown. Add water to come 1/4 of the way up the side of chops. Cover and simmer until the chops are cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chops to a serving platter and simmer the liquid and any stuffing drippings until reduced to a thick sauce. Pour the sauce over the chops and serve garnished with toasted almonds.

Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

Directions

Bring the broth and water to a boil in saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep hot.

In another saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the rice, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the hot broth mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the saucepan. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in walnuts and taste for seasoning, adjusting as necessary. Transfer the pilaf to a serving bowl and serve.

*Go... go now, get what you need to make this... and ENJOY!!!*

A few more new favorites!

So I've posted about our new obsession with 5 Ingredient Fix... oh how we love that show. Here are a handful of recipes we've tried, and LOVED!

First up Grown-Up Farmhouse Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

• 8 thin slices pancetta
• 8 slices brioche, about 1/2-inch thick
• 4 ounces sharp white Cheddar, thinly sliced (recommended: Farmhouse)
• 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into 4 slices
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set a rack on a rimmed baking sheet.

Lay the pancetta slices on the rack on the baking sheet and bake until crisp, 15 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, set your toaster to a low setting and toast the brioche slices, (they should be slightly dry but not brown).

Lay 4 slices lightly toasted brioche on a work surface and cover the slices with half the cheese, followed by a slice of tomato. Season each sandwich with a pinch of salt and a healthy grind of black pepper. Top each with 2 pancetta rounds and the remaining cheese. Lay the remaining brioche slices on top and press down lightly. Butter the top of each sandwich with 1/2 tablespoon butter.

Heat a large griddle pan over medium heat.

Melt the remaining tablespoon butter on the griddle pan and add the sandwiches, buttered side up. Cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is beginning to melt. Flip the sandwiches, press lightly, and continue cooking until golden and toasty. Transfer to a cutting board and slice the sandwiches with a serrated knife, on the diagonal. Arrange on a serving platter and serve immediately.

Then we had a little dinner party over here a few weekends ago and served Rosemary Pork Tenderloin.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves, plus 4 sprigs rosemary, with hard woody stems
• 5 large garlic cloves, 2 cloves minced, 3 cloves smashed
• 2 pork tenderloins, about 1-pound each
• 4 slices maple bacon

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, fresh ground black pepper, chopped rosemary, and minced garlic and mix well. Rub the mustard mixture over the surface of the tenderloins and wrap in plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place rosemary sprigs and smashed garlic in the center of a roasting pan. Remove the plastic wrap from the tenderloins and top each with 2 slices of maple bacon. Tie with kitchen twine to secure bacon strips.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer, inserted in the tenderloins, registers 160 degrees F. Remove from oven when desired doneness is reached and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove kitchen twine, slice and serve with your favorite sides. Garnish with the rosemary sprigs and garlic. Enjoy!

Then it was Daddio's birthday last week and he requested fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and this delicious side dish: Homemade Creamed Corn

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 8 large cobs fresh corn, preferably white, shucked and cleaned
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

In a large skillet, (seasoned cast iron does well here) cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Turn off the heat and transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve the drippings in the pan.

On a cutting board, cut the stalk ends of the corn cobs to make a flat surface; stand them up and shave the corn from the cobs with a sharp chef's knife. Return the skillet to medium-low heat, and add the corn kernels. With the back of the knife, firmly scrape the cobs over a shallow plate to extract as much liquid (milk) as possible and add it to the skillet.

Season corn lightly with salt and pepper and cook until broken down and creamy, about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring often; add water if the pan gets too dry.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Crisp bacon can be crumbled over the creamed corn when serving or reserved for another use. If you have bacon drippings on hand, use 1/4 cup for this recipe.

*This particular menu had me on my feet cooking for several hours... it was a huge job... but well worth it! The creamed corn was a huge hit!

Chicken and Greens

Sorry that I left you hanging, there... waiting to find out about this recipe that I posted on last!

It was SO GOOOOOOOOOOD! The chicken was so tender and flavorful! The greens where full of flavor and a wonderful texture and firmness!

I highly recommend it... go out, by the ingredients and make it this week!

5 Ingredient Fix

I have a new favorite TV show... can you guess what it is? I'm sure you are either thinking it is food or crafting (based on the majority of my posts... it seems like)... it's FOOD! The show... 5 Ingredient Fix! It's genius I tell you... everything she prepares on the show has 5 ingredients or less (salt and pepper are not included in the count). So far EVERY SINGLE EPISODE we've seen has left us starving and desperate to try!

Well today I woke and decided that I could wait no longer! I spent some time on the recipes list trying to find things that I already had all or part of the makings for. Not a lot of luck. I had chicken... hmmmm, well, okay, what would I need to buy to make some sort of chicken? Oh, and we need a side dish...

What did I pick?

Citrus Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 large bone-in, skin on chicken breasts, about 3 pounds
• 4 large whole chicken thighs, about 2 pounds
• 1/2 navel orange, zested, plus the juice of 1 whole orange
• 2 limes, 1 zested, both juiced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Put the chicken in a large nonmetalic bowl. Put the orange and lime zests in a small bowl and add the fruit juices. Whisk in the olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and a generous grind of black pepper. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss until well coated. Marinate for 20 to 30 minutes but no longer than 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put a rack on a rimmed baking sheet. With tongs, remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and arrange them on the rack leaving space between each piece. Drizzle a small spoonful of the marinade over the top of each chicken piece; season well with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when meat is pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Cool slightly before serving or let stand until room temperature before refrigerating for later use.

-AND-

Nutty Greens with Bacon

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound haricots verts, trimmed
• 3 slices bacon
• 4 ounces blue cheese, cut into small chunks (recommended: Shropshire)
• 1 1/2 cups toasted whole pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the haricots verts and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the water and immediately place in a bowl of ice water. Remove the haricots verts from the ice water and set aside in a medium bowl.

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels. Add the beans to the bacon drippings and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the blue cheese and toss just until it starts to melt. Break the cooked bacon into bite-size pieces and add to pan. Finish by stirring in the toasted chopped pecans. Season with the freshly ground black pepper and just a tiny pinch of kosher salt. Serve immediately.

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I'm super excited for tonight... oh and I made chocolate pudding for dessert...YUM! I'll let you know how it all turns out!

Roses are red

A week ago, I guess, I came across this really pretty cake with large roses done in frosting. The blogger showed that you could also translate them to cupcakes and cookies... and immediately I pinned it (I'm addicted to Pinterest). After looking over the blog, I thought there had to be a catch. She said it was easy, and indeed her directions seemed simple enough... but let's face it, it's never that easy! Or is it?

Well, it is! I did just as she said... and now I have cute roses for Our Lady to go along with the cake tomorrow (the cake is was not GF, I ordered it... so I needed to come up with something for Bobcat, and I happened to have had a GF box mix and one thing of frosting stored away for just such an occasion!).

Chipotle Chicken

We love Chipotle! Who doesn't right... we can feed our family rather cheaply there (we share a few bowls), and we can be totally GF and safe for Bobcat with no problems!

We also like to make 'burrito' bowls here at the house, but I've never been able to get close to the flavor the restaurant serves... so that became my mission... find a recipe marinade that sounded (and smelled) like the real thing so to speak. Here's what I tried this time:

• 1/4 cup canned chipotle chiles in adobo*
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3 1/ 2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Puree a ll ingredients, then let marinade. Finish off by grilling.

So far it smells great! So we are off to a good start. I will let you know how it taste after this evenings chicken chipotle burrito bowls!

Near and dear!

What's near and dear? FOOD! I like food, and as I've aged... I appreciate food more and more. I enjoy natural flavors, and am learning how to cook in a whole new way compared to the way I grew up. Now, I love the food I ate growing up, but it was sort of a simple set of meals (tasty to me, weird apparently to others, but that is another post).

While I won't claim to being a great cook, there are a few things I feel like I do well... and my confidence is growing in the kitchen... which is weird to say because I've always loved being in the kitchen and cooking, just I've always had a fear of the unknown recipe or food/spice...

Thankfully my dear husband, and his bravery with food (and nearly stainless steel stomach) pushed me to step out on the ledge once we got married. Then came kids, bravery 0 again and easy won out for a good while... falling back on my old tried and trues from growing up. Last but not least, the newest member of our little family, Celiac disease, entered the picture a few years ago and back out on the ledge I was tossed.

Truth is, it was time for a shake up... and weirdly enough (because I refuse to admit it) I was ready for a change! Out went wheat, most cans, lots of frozen things, all boxes, and little packets... in came lovely colors, fresher things, and higher grocery bills... and a need to change my thinking on how food will be cooked in my kitchen!

No, every week I'm not adventurous... I have come up with new tried and trues to make it through the days I'm uninspired (hopefully I'm not the only one who has a hard time cooking when what I'm cooking doesn't seem to be what I want... I know, add it to my list of things to offer up). Sometimes, though, I will have a rough plan for a meal and have lots of fresh things but it doesn't come together until that day... enter TODAY!

A meal we all like around here that can have a plethora of combinations is taco bowl night. The choices range from the different veggies to throw in, rice, tortilla chips... to meat, ground beef, steak of some random cut, or chicken. Tonight it will be chicken... but how to season, that is always a predicament for me. Growing up we used one thing... Tony's... and while it is GF, my family likes other flavors... oh and Tony's is really not, um, well spanish in flavor! Oh and marinading it an art form that I really am only just dipping my toes into! Do you remember that ledge? Well I'm there... we've had a crappy week... no a crappy month... well more like a crappy 6+ weeks... and I decided to take it out on my veggies...

I made up my very own marinade. No, not rocket science or a cure for cancer... but hey it smells really good :-).
I know, it doesn't look tasty now... but I assure you, I dipped a pinky in to see how it came out... I didn't work it out on paper or anything, just kind of winged it as I went!

So what's in it.... hmmmm, let's see:
1 tbs chili powder
pinch of cumin
dash of salt (big chunky salt is the way to go people)
a few twists of the pepper grinder (did I mention that this was real scientific)
1/2 orange bell pepper (it's what I had)
1/2 med white onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small lime juiced
1/2 small lemon juiced
1/2 cup chicken broth (that was after I noticed it was more of a paste instead of a marinade)

Chop in processor (also something that doesn't regularly see the light of day in my kitchen), dump in freezer bag along with b/s chicken... and there you have it... what seems to be a tasty way to get the chicken seasoned for taco bowls!

How to cook it? Ahhh, that's where Daddio comes in, if I smile real nice when he gets home... he will light the grill and throw them on! Otherwise I would just use my little grill pan on the stove. Alright friends, I will let you how it turns out! Have a lovely day!

Beer me a Nog!

Office fans will understand the title! If you're not a fan of The Office... well, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore... anyway...

This weekend we finally made a drink that we love... but always just buy from the store... EGGNOG. I seriously love this stuff. I'm addicted to it, really! While I'm fully aware (because Daddio reminds me every time I make a comment about nog) that it is a drink you sip gently... I would rather enjoy a tall frosty mug (as in my tall frosty beer mug I keep in the freezer) of the stuff!

Last year I wanted to make it from scratch but couldn't find a recipe that was for a small amount. I didn't want to waste all those ingredients to have it turn out terrible. This year, I finally found a recipe that makes one pitcher full (6-7 drinks it claims).

Saturday, after watching Food Network and some really tasty indulgences being prepared... we could hold back no longer... we leaped to the kitchen and bowls started flying...

When all was said and done... FREAKIN' AWESOME NOG!

What a difference a year makes!

This time last year was our first big FOOD holiday dealing with Bobcat's celiac disease and being a GF family. I was on EDGE to say the least. We weren't having Thanksgiving at our house which meant I needed to put together an entire meal for him and then bring it with us (thankfully the first Thanksgiving dinner we celebrated that year was just 20 minutes from our house). We survived... I survived the night before (just barely)...

Now... we are once again the night before a FOOD holiday, it's been a year, and once again we are taking this show on the rode... further, down to Buffalo Tx (about 3 hours). NO WORRIES. I'm done, actually at 6:37pm. No, I didn't cook all day, I didn't even start till after we finished our own dinner for the night. No, we didn't have pizza for dinner (which apparently is the big thing the night before)... I made a lovely roast with carrots served on a bed of rice.

So what is on the menu (that I prepared) you may ask... well, let me tell you:

• Bourbon and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
• Caramelized brown sugar over sweet potatoes
• Brownies

No pie this time. I wasn't able to get to the health food store to pick up the almond flour and a few other odds and ends I need to make GF pie crusts. But do tune in soon for a new gingerbread recipe (rum soaked raisins, and rum cream on top... YUM).

Souper Tasty!

It dawned on me that I really haven't put any of our new recipes up on the blog... so here's a tasty soup I made this weekend... in the crock pot!

Now, I have a large 6 quart crock, so if yours is smaller you will probably want to pull back some of the quantity.

Chicken Soup
5 pieces of chicken (I used thighs because that's what I had on hand)
6 cups of chicken stock
1 lb baby carrots (chopped to your liking)
1/2 lb celery (chopped to your liking)
1 small onion (what ever your favorite variety is, chopped)
Dash of Dill Weed (I love this stuff, but you don't NEED it)
Dash of Rosemary
Dash of Red Pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Throw it all into your slow cooker, wait 5-8 hours... and YUMMY! This will serve around 8-10 bowls!

Campin' Fare

Charlotte asked me (or Daddio) to expound a little on our camping food... how we come up with it and that sort of thing. First let me say it has evolved over the years! We started off easy... hot dogs, steaks, baked potatoes, and s'mores!

I think the first question you need to answer before your next camping trip is where are you going and is there a burn ban (which happens frequently here in Tx, so do your research). We prefer actual campfire cooking, but all that we do can be done with charcoal if need be.

Next up are tools! Tools are just as important as the food you want cooked. First you need a set of heavy duty grill tools (spatula, tongs, fork), and a set of grilling gloves (here's the set I got for Daddio that he really likes!). If you like your arms and hands... these gloves will protect them! Then there is the actual cookware. We have a nice grill to set of the fire (for those sites that don't have a permanent fire ring with attached grill). I couldn't find one like we have... but ours is a heavy cast iron product that half of the top is a grill grate and the other is a flat surface that is great for eggs and bacon and the sort (frying). And last but definitely not least - DUTCH OVENS! We actually have two. A traditional one like in the picture, and a deep dish skillet with a lid that is great for frying things in. The lid has about an inch to and inch and half lip so your bacon grease doesn't drip into the fire, and you don't lose an egg on an uneven surface (using the lid is like having a third pan!!!). Oh, and another must have tool for dutch ovens... the Lid Lifter! It makes life a lot easier and safer :-).

When it comes to our menus... we have a few staples we always make: steaks, s'mores, breakfast burritos and dutch oven peach cobbler. Steaks and s'mores are easy, that's a no brainer. The cobbler, I think this came in the cookbook that came with our first dutch oven. It's a super simple recipe... two small cans of peaches in syrup (or one HUGE can), one box of spice cake mix, one stick of butter. First pour in the cans of peaches (syrup and all), without mixing spread the dry cake mix on top, then cut the butter up into tbsps and lay on top. Place lid on top, and put in the fire pit. Usually takes about 15-20 minutes (depending on how the wood coals are doing). The breakfast burritos are pretty straight forward. Daddio fries the bacon and eggs in the lid of the large skillet, place on tortillas, and top with cheese and salsa... mmmmmm TASTY!

Over the years we've done all sorts of meals in the dutch oven. This time we made up a new one all on our own :-). We cut up potatoes and stick of butter (add salt and pepper to your liking), placed on grill over fire. Daddio grilled a link of sausage for a while, then cut up into sections and threw that into the oven... once the potatoes were nice and soft we added cheese to the top! It made a great side dish for our steaks, and a full meal for the boys! Had we thought of it before hand, I would have tossed in some onion and probably garlic (but alas I didn't bring those items).

Last year we tried a few casserole dishes from Cee Dubs Dutch Oven Show. His show is funny, and all of his food (that we've tried) is very tasty! He cooks with charcoal briquettes instead of fire... so our timing and heat are really much more approximate than his. And we recently stumbled across Primal Grilling! This show is amazing and we've already put into practice some of his techniques!

Just the thought of camping excites my taste buds. Everything tastes different... better when it has been cooked over fire! And really once you have a few simple (well made) tools, the possiblities for meals are endless!

Around the barnyard #2

Top o' the mornin', and Happy St. Pat's day to ya all!

So here's another round of what happens in the Llama barnyard. And once again let me re-iterate the notion of 'what works for me'... meaning, it works for me, but it might not work for you. You should experiment and come up with what works for you... but feel free to use this as a springboard for your process!

Dinner:
Remember to take the meat out for the evening... or as is the case for me today... start the roast in the crock! (Done)

Laundry:
Dedicates. Also, if for some reason you didn't finish up anything from yesterday... you know that pile that didn't reach its home... now is the time to jump on that! Once the dedicates are done, strip the beds and get those sheets in there. If you work quickly on this process, then you won't need to fold... simply clean and replace (work smarter not harder!).

Bathrooms:
Tubs. If you do this on a weekly basis than you will notice that the process doesn't take long at all! And while your at it, wipe down those vanities one more time... nothin says clean like a sparkling sink and mirror!

Vacuuming:
Yes, I generally vacuum every day. Carpet vacuum lines make me happy. Plus we have two dogs who have a slight shed... and while I might not be able to see the hair... I know it's there! Plus it seems to cut down on the general dust in the house. If you are not a big vacuumer, today is the day to hit your dusting in its place.
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Now for a recipe:

Crockpot Java Roast
--3 lb chuck roast, trimmed of fat
--3/4 cup brewed coffee
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1 red bell pepper, chopped
--8 oz sliced mushrooms
--1 t garlic powder, or 4-5 chopped cloves
--1/2 tsp salt
--1/4 black pepper
--1 T Worcestershire sauce
--3 T red wine vinegar
--4 oz cream cheese (to add at the end)

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart or larger crockpot.

I opted to not brown the meat and onions, and instead plopped everything in to the crockpot. I put the vegetables on the bottom, and then the meat.

Add the coffee, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, and spices.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. I cooked our meat on low for exactly 8 hours, and then it was on warm for another 3.

Carefully remove the meat from the pot, and stir in the cream cheese. I'd cut the cream cheese in slices and add it one at a time, if you can, to help it from separating in little white dots the way mine did. I got impatient. If you do get a bunch of little white dots, they will taste fine, but annoy you.

Hot buns...

I've made GF hamburger buns in the past, and they are a big hit around here... but I decided to change it up a little and make the hot dog buns this time for dinner. The ones you buy that are GF are CARDBOARD at best. Bobcat is always very polite if in a hurry I've picked up pre-made buns, but it is no secret that they are much tasty fresh and homemade.

So during nap time I whipped up a half dozen buns for the boys dinner enjoyment!

You might be wondering what it looks like to make, or if I use a special pan. Well I received a tip from a profession chef at a GF support group meeting... FOIL! She says that it is easy to make up your own forms using foil, you always have it on hand and its custom!

Gobble gobble...

Some have wondered how Thankgiving went after my grinchy post from a week or so ago... well it went fine for the most part. I did all of my cooking on Wednesday because we were planning on arriving at the hostesses home around 1:00pm(ish) on Thursday and I didn't want the stress of trying to get it all ready in the morning... and boy am I glad that is what I did!

The menu included:
--ham that was glazed with whiskey (distilled is GF) and brown sugar (a la Martha Stewart 2007)
--sweet potatoes with brown sugar and cinnamon
--cherry pie (pictured here)
--chocolate chip cookies

The ham was simple, we've done that before... as well as the sweet potatoes. The pie... well, I've never made a pie before let alone a GF pie. So I picked up a pie crust mix from our friendly GF store (and tried to remember just how the chef did it at the GF support group meeting at the beginning of the month). It was really quite comical how that pie came together... but Daddio was very encouraging and I managed to get it done! Next up, the cookies. I tried earlier in the week before to alter a previous recipe to be GF with disasterous results... so I took the easy way out and opted for a mix here too.

One thing about GF cookies the chef told us is that they have a hard time staying nice and fluffy. The gluten in flour gives the structure to the food you are cooking... so the cookies do get kind of thin (which is really sad because my cookies are usually lovely and fluffy). After all was said and done the cookies were flat but tastey!

If you're wondering about the little shapes on top... yes, I cut those out of the crust... I didn't want to attempt to grid the top... the crust was very unforgiving and these shapes were much easier to deal with!

And the reason I'm glad the work was all finished on Wednesday... well when I woke up on Thursday I felt worse than I had all week... damn this evil cold, I am so ready for it to be GONE!