Green Bean Casserole - Gluten Free

Back in my Thanksgiving post, I promised I would put up my gluten free green bean casserole recipe. Too many weeks later, here it is.This recipe feeds roughly 12-14 people so if you're not feeding a crowd, half the recipe and you're good to go.

Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole

You will need...

3 cans green beans
2 (I used more like 1 2/3 cans) gluten free cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1 bag Funyuns
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix the green beans and creamed soup together in a large casserole dish while the oven is preheating to 350 degrees. I had to use cream of mushroom because they were out of the chicken soup. I much prefer the chicken flavor though!

Did you know that Funyuns were gluten free? Neither did I until Gabe was not able to have any. We found the perfect substitute for French's French Fried Onions; Funyuns!

Next, stir in roughly 1/3 of the Funyuns after you've crumbled them a bit. I added some salt and pepper at this point also.

Ready to cook.

Cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Top with more (finely) crumbled Funyuns as shown in the picture. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until Funyuns become browned.

 Serve and enjoy!

Peanut 'Butter' Scotch Candy

As I mentioned in another post, I made these candies and gave them out as part of the kids' teacher gifts. They take a grand total of only TWO ingredients and roughly thirty minutes of your time.

Ready, set, here we go...

What you'll need:

1 bag Butterscotch chips
3/4C Peanut Butter

Double boiler or two pots
mini muffin pan
mini muffin paper cups

I do not have a double boiler so I used a large pot half filled with water and a smaller pot sitting inside with the butterscotch chips, like pictured below.

Have your stove on medium heat and begin melting the chips. It takes a while to start but once they begin melting, make sure to stir frequently to prevent them from burning. But while you wait, you can put the paper cups into the muffin pan.

Once they are at least 2/3 or more melted, add in you 3/4C peanut butter and finish melting the chips.

You with me? Of course you are. Now that it's melted, simply spoon a tablespoon(ish) amount into each little cup. Continue until mixture is gone and boom. You're done.

The hardest part is waiting for them to harden. Those of you in the cold weather can set them outside for an hour or so. And for us in the warmer climate, just stick them in the freezer for an hour. Now you can enjoy!

P.S. - For you chocolate lovers, you can melt some chocolate once the candy is hard and put a small layer on top. YUM!

Pumpkin Goodness

Way back in the beginning of summer I posted this Pumpkin Cookie recipe. Since pumpkin season is now in full swing, I wanted to bring back the recipe again to share with you. I just made these for our church and received many compliments (great ego booster!).

These can be made Gluten Free too just by substituting regular flour with GF all purpose flour. I left off the frosting when I made them for church and they were still extremely delicious!

PS - They are neighborhood kid tested and approved! The kids loved them so much that they were begging for more!

mmm!

Here we go...

Pumpkin Cookies

1C shortening (I didn't have any so I used butter. Also, if you add some extra butter they turn out super soft)
1C sugar
1 egg
1C pumpkin
1tsp vanilla
2C flour (I used a gluten free flour)
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp baking soda
pinch of salt (pretty sure I skipped the salt)

I added a small amount of nutmeg and cloves even though the ingredients don't call for them.

Directions:
Cream shortening or butter and add sugar and eggs; beat well. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool then add frosting. Makes 25-30 cookies. (side note: I thought they would flatten/smooth out while baking but they didn't. How you plop them on the baking sheet is how they'll bake. Hence, my lopsided looking cookies.)

Frosting

1Tbs butter
2Tbs milk
1/4C brown sugar
powdered sugar
vanilla to taste (I probably added 2Tbs)

Directions:
Melt together butter, milk, and brown sugar. (I microwaved for 15seconds at a time until brown sugar was dissolved.) Add in vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. (I felt like I was adding a TON of powdered sugar).

Most Awesome Pumpkin Cookies

So I know that summer is just beginning but the kids and I were in a baking mood the other day and these pumpkin cookies were calling my name! One hours and a few messes later, we had the most AWESOMELY DELICIOUS pumpkin cookies. Not only were they delicious, but I made them Gluten Free too!

PS - They are neighborhood kid tested and approved! The kids loved them so much that they were begging for more!

mmm!

Here we go...

Pumpkin Cookies

1C shortening (I didn't have any so I used butter)
1C sugar
1 egg
1C pumpkin
1tsp vanilla
2C flour (I used a gluten free flour)
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp baking soda
pinch of salt (pretty sure I skipped the salt)

I added a small amount of nutmeg and cloves even though the ingredients don't call for them.

Directions:
Cream shortening and add sugar and eggs; beat well. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool then add frosting. Makes 25-30 cookies. (side note: I thought they would flatten/smooth out while baking but they didn't. How you plop them on the baking sheet is how they'll bake. Hence, my lopsided looking cookies.)

Frosting

1Tbs butter
2Tbs milk
1/4C brown sugar
powdered sugar
vanilla to taste (I probably added 2Tbs)

Directions:
Melt together butter, milk, and brown sugar. (I microwaved for 15seconds at a time until brown sugar was dissolved.) Add in vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. (I felt like I was adding a TON of powdered sugar).

SOOO delicious! The cookies had just the right hint of pumpkin and the super sweet frosting balanced it out perfectly.

Why yes, that is a half eaten cookie sitting there. I just couldn't wait to take a taste! These cookies were great with or without the frosting. I'm not a huge fan of sweet sweet stuff so I left some unfrosted and ate those too.




And like I said, the family loved them and it even had the neighborhood kids coming back asking for more. These pumpkin cookies didn't last more than two days in this house. Gone, just like that.

SNOW in Arizona!

Yes, we had SNOW in southern Arizona! Granted we live almost a mile above sea level so snow is not impossible. It's just highly unlikely. The mountains surrounding us are usually the only way we get to see snow throughout the winter. Being that we are located at a higher altitude, we do get a small dusting at least once a year but not like this. We were blessed with almost two inches on New Year's Eve. (Yes, I am just getting around to posting this almost a month late!)

Gabe and I were woken up to the sounds of Alena screaming "Snow! We have snow! Can we play in it?" And who are we to tell her no when this might be her one and only chance to play in snow this year?

So we were bundling up the kids and getting them ready to head outside when we thought up the idea to take them to the park where there would be more snow than at home. So Gabe and I bundled up too and even before anyone had breakfast, we were out the door to play.

I was joking with Gabe and saying how only in Arizona do you play in the snow before eating breakfast because you know it'll be gone by noon. It's true! I also joked that this was a once in five year type of snow. We have lived here barely over five years and this is about the most we've seen.

We were not the only ones who had the idea to come to the park because there were several other families there enjoying the snow. The kids had a blast and I do believe Christian could have played in it all day! Alena, on the other hand, is more like me. We like for a bit, but when the cold overtakes the fun, we're done.

Trying to make a large ball for a snowman.

You can see in this next one that Christian took the opportunity to nail Gabe with a huge snowball while he was helping Alena with her gloves.

You can see where Alena was nailed right in her forehead.

The others in the park with the same idea as us. They were building some sort of funky snowman (snowfrog?).

After having our fill of snow, we headed home. On the way, we decided we were just too lazy to make breakfast so instead, we would head to a local restaurant for some brunch (since by then it was 11). Gabe and the kids ordered breakfast items but this pregnant momma was craving the Turkey Reuben as soon as I saw it on the menu. And boy was it good! I ate the whole thing and completely overstuffed myself!

Waiting for our meals to arrive.

YUMMY!

We had such a good family day!

Let's Can! - Hot Pepper Butter

So this may be my favorite canned recipe so far and I will be making it every year. You can use this stuff as dip, on hamburgers, sandwiches, whatever you want. Seriously good stuff! We shared a can with some family and went through an entire pint jar in one day.

Hot Pepper Butter

you will need

20 green peppers
a few banana peppers or green chilies (I used 5 green chilies)
1 c yellow mustard
2 c white vinegar
3 c sugar
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 c - 1 cup flour (I used rice flour because of Gabe's gluten allergy, but you can use wheat flour)
3/4 c - 1 c water

• Chop peppers into small pieces (I threw mine into the blender)
• Put into large pot and add mustard, vinegar, sugar, and salt
• Bring to a boil
• Meanwhile, make a paste with the flour and water
• Add paste to boiling mixture and cook for an additional 5 - 10 min or until paste has dissolved.

Put it into sterilized jars and water bathe them for 15 - 20 min. It will make around nine pints. 

The pepper butter is a perfect mixture of sweet and spicy. If you want it less spicy, leave out the banana peppers or green chilies and add a couple extra green peppers.

ENJOY!

Vacation Part 4

Are you getting tired of this vacation yet? :) Today's post will highlight our last day with Gabe's family, then our drive down to Ohio, and our first night with my family. So let's get to it.

We woke up at 430 Friday the 6th and started the drive back from the cottage to Gabe's mom's house. Along the way, we made a pit stop at what Gabe would consider his second set of parents' house. They were on their way out the door so we didn't get a lot of time to spend with them. But it was still nice to see them.

We made it back to Gabe's mom's house later that morning and I swear, this was the most MISERABLE day yet. The humidity was 60% (or more) with temps still at 100! We lounged around all day and we all took a nap that afternoon. I was so ridiculously hot, I could not sleep in bed, but instead, grabbed two fans and positioned one near my feet blowing up my body. And the other fan I put blowing from my head down my body and then slept on the couch. Even then, I was still hot, but at least it was more bearable.

Later that evening, we headed to a place called The Parlour. It's an old ice cream shop with HUGE portions. I got two scoops in a bowl and had trouble finishing it. Don't worry though, I didn't waste any of it. I stuffed myself to the gills getting it all in. :)

http://www.visualalchemy.net/deforest/parlourjackson/jackson_index.html

Alena and her cousin Emily

Picture courtesy of Alena

Gabe's ice cream concoction.

We headed back to the house and got ready for bed because it was going to be another early morning. (I thought this was a vacation?! Aren't we supposed to be sleeping in?)

The kids were exhausted so they fell asleep in the car. We made a stop to Cabela's because the kids love looking at all the animals and Gabe loves to gawk at everything in there. They even have an aquarium in there! I wish I would have thought to take a picture from the second floor overlooking the store just to show you how large it is.

After Cabela's, we stopped for lunch and continued on our way. We are so lucky to have such great little travelers. The kids once again fell asleep and slept the whole way to my mom's house.

We had a family reunion that night (you like how we're always having these reunions on the days we travel?) but I wanted to stop at the Ox Roast first to get an Ox Roast sandwich and lemonade. The Ox Roast, for those of you that don't know, is held annually in the community park and put on by the volunteer fire department. It brings in the money for the fire department for the rest of the year and is like a giant flee market where you can find all sorts of things. And they have some of the BEST food! It was another hot and humid day (are you sensing a pattern with this weather?) so we didn't stay very long. Just long enough to say Hello to some old friends, grab our food and drinks, and run to the air conditioning of the car. (Oh, sweet air conditioning)

We stopped by my sister's house for a little bit of sitting before heading off to the reunion. It was another great reunion with plenty of kids for Alena and Christian to run around with. Gabe and I teamed up for a game of Corn Hole and won best out of three! As the sun was setting, the adults started up a game of volleyball and played until the sun went down and it got to hard/dangerous to play anymore. I didn't even realize that it was already 10 pm. Ohio has daylight savings while Arizona does not. We get dark at 830 instead of 10 like Ohio. It threw us off on time for the entire vacation!

The kids loved going up the hill and then running/rolling/biking back down.

Austin and Prestin

Grandma and Christian

Then we  headed to my parent's house to rest up for the long days ahead.

Vacation Part 3

This post is about our second day with Gabe's dad at the family cottage.

It was another miserably hot day so after a late breakfast and some lounging around, we headed out to swim. We spent the next 3 1/2 hours in the water. I conquered, if that's what you can call it, the floating iceberg (meaning I jumped and bounced off the top, throwing off my balance and slamming into the water on my back. ouch!). Of course, since I'm the only one who was taking pictures or videos, there are none of me. :(

Outside of all the swimming, we pretty much lounged around, rode the long board, and just tried to stay cool.  Both Gabe's dad and ourselves brought along a watermelon. We tackled one the first day and the second, the next day. With 5 grown men, 1 woman, and two kids, we ate them both no problem. We packed up our things because we were heading out super early (5 am early, ugh) the next morning and tried to go to bed early. But it was so hot up there in that little cottage, sleep was hard. It ended up cooling off a lot during the night and I woke up freezing. Christian and I were in the same bed and at some point he wet the bed. Needless to say, sleep was not happening and I was not a very happy camper when the alarm went off at 430. Mama needs her sleep! But we got up and got out the door on time which is a miracle in itself.

I love this shot I got of the kids playing Frisbee.I timed it perfectly to catch the frisbee knocking Alena in the head (lucky timing, huh?). lol Don't worry, she was fine.

Our watermelon pile. Gabe must be contemplating how many of those are his and how many more he will eat.

So delicious!