Quick & Easy Cream of Tomato Soup

One of my family's favorite soups is Tomato Soup.  Finding a gluten free condensed or canned soup has been next to impossible.  So, I decided to make my own.  I searched around the internet and found a few recipes that were ok, some that were not so good.  I wanted to make this an easy soup, just like if it were Campbell's Tomato Soup.  I think after a lot of failed experiments, I finally have one that works perfectly.  And what's even better, dipping in our favorite grilled cheese sandwiches.

Quick & Easy Cream of Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

In a large saucepot, combine the tomato paste and tomato sauce.

In a large measuring cup (I use a 4 cup measuring cup) combine the water, heavy cream, milk and sugar.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Add garlic salt to tomato mixture.  Slowly stir in milk mixture until well combined.  Heat over low heat until heated through.  Do not over cook.

Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup
Courtesy of my Mom

Ingredients:
8 cups water
1 lb dried split peas
2 lb smoked ham cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)
2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)

Directions:

In large Dutch oven, heat water and peas to boiling; boil 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Stir in ham, onions, salt and pepper.  Heat until boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 hour.  Skim fat if necessary.

Stir in carrots and celery.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Taco Soup

This soup is amazing!  The ingredient list had me wondering, but the editor's note under the recipe in the book stated that this was the most popular recipe in the entire Best of the Best collection.  After tasting it, I can see why!

Taco Soup
Adapted from Best of the Best - The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 envelope (1/4 cup) Old El Paso Taco seasoning
1 (16oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (16oz) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (16oz) can golden hominy, undrained
1 (14.75oz) can cream-style corn
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 Envelope (3 Tbsp) dry Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
Sour cream, optional
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, optional
Tortilla chips, optional

Directions:

In Dutch oven, brown ground beef and onion, drain.  Add taco seasoning and mix well. 

Add, without draining, all the cans of beans, hominy, corn and tomatoes.

Stir in ranch dressing mix.  Simmer over low heat until heated through and bubbly.

Serve topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

*The original recipe says to serve the soup over tortilla chips.  We really didn't care for doing that, so we left it out the second time we ate it.  It's much better to have the chips on the side for dipping.

Unstuffed Shells

Unstuffed Shells
Adapted from Once A Month Mom

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package medium pasta shells, uncooked (I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Flour Shells)
1 lb Italian Sausage links (about 4-5), cooked and sliced
2 (24 oz) can of Pasta Sauce (I used mushroom flavor)
1 container Italian And Herb Philadelphia Cooking Creme
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package.  Combine cooked sausage and pasta sauce and cook over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk together the cooking creme, milk and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.  Add in the pasta and basil.  Stir until pasta is completely coated.

In a 2 1/2 quart baking dish (or 9x13 dish), pour half the meat sauce.  Add all of the pasta, then top with the remaining meat sauce.  Top with Mozzarella.  Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes at 375F.  Remove foil and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serves about 8-10.  Leftovers are our friend!

Tempura Battered Tilapia

I have never made anything in a tempura batter before, and I rarely fry things either.  Every once and awhile I will make some homemade fried chicken (using thin sliced chicken breast cutlets or tenders).  That's about it for me frying things.  I don't even use my deep fryer anymore, haven't in a few years.  So, I use a skillet on the stove.

Although a little messy (how can battering or breading not get messy?), it was a breeze to make and the kids went nuts over it.  In fact, my little guy kept asking for more!  But, I do agree with them, it was pretty good, and even better with a little homemade tartar sauce on the side.

Tempura Battered Tilapia

Ingredients:
1 Cup 'Hol Grain' Tempura Batter Mix
1 Egg, beaten
3/4 Cup Ice cold water (I put ice cubes in the measuring cup and fill it with water, wait for the cubes to melt)
4 Tilapia Fillets, cut in half
Salt to taste
Oil for frying


Directions:

Heat oil in deep fryer or deep skillet (you need at least an inch of oil, more is better) to about 350F.  (I don't really even measure the temperature, I test if it's ready by dropping a drop of batter into the oil, if it sizzles up, the oil is ready to go!)

Combine the batter mix, egg and water.  (Or you could even make your own Tempura batter mix, there are recipes everywhere that don't require a box mix).  The batter should have the consistency of a pancake batter.

Pat the tilapia fillets really well, you want them to be dry or the batter will just slide right off.  Dip each fillet in the batter and carefully place in the oil.  You will want to do two or three at a time, then let the oil come back up to temperature.  Fry the fish on one side for about 2-3 minutes, flip and fry again for another 2 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Drain the fillets on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to taste.  This serves about 4.  I always figure 1 whole fillet per person.

My tartar sauce is the easiest thing on Earth.  I just combine about 2 Tbsp of Sweet Pickle relish with 2 Tbsp Mayo.  Yum!

Banana Bread - Gluten Free

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

My mom handed this recipe down to me from one of her grandmothers.  This is by far the best banana bread I have ever eaten.  I loved it so much, it was one of the very first things that I converted to be gluten free.  I have made it for holidays, and no one could tell it was gluten free, so I would say I did a good job.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 beaten eggs
2 cups GF AP flour (I use Bob's Red Mill AP flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
3 bananas, very ripe (when the peeling start turning black)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cream butter in mixer.  Add brown sugar and eggs, mix well.  Add bananas (just break them into chunks and drop them in the mixer).  Add remaining dry ingredients, making sure you are scraping the sides of the bowl well.  Pour mixture into one greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until done.

I have made this with and without nuts.  I don't care for nuts, but my husband loves them.  Today, I made two loaves (I had 6 bananas I needed to get used up), one with nuts, and one without.

Banana Bread with Walnuts

Banana Bread with Walnuts

Menu Plan 4/16/12

I am very much the bad blogger lately.  Have you ever had the feeling that you just don't want to do something?  Yeah, me too, hence the no blogging the last couple of weeks.  It's been crazy busy around here lately.  My 7 year old son has epilepsy (and ADHD), and his neurologist is out of Burlington, VT, which is a 4 hour drive.  He had an appointment this past week, so we made a trip of it.  We stayed two nights, and even went to the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory and went on a tour.  The kids loved it. :)

So, needless to say, there was no menu plan this past week.  What I had wrote down totally went out the window.  Then I decided I didn't care for what I had planned out for the rest of the month, so I completely redid the rest of my April menu!

I am going to try to start including breakfast and lunch in my menu plans.  I have a big food problem (major food addict and compulsive over-eater), and thought that if I planned all my meals, there would be less roaming the kitchen and eating whatever I see.  So, I am really hoping this works, as nothing else seems to work.  I will be meeting with a dietician soon, and I hope to learn a lot from that as well.   I am home alone for breakfast and lunch on Monday-Friday.  Weekends we all get to eat together.

Friday, my 12 year old daughter meets with an orthodontist for the first time, so we will be gone all day.  Due to insurance issues, the nearest orthodontist is 4 hours away, so we will be eating on the road that day.  That's what we get for living in the middle of nowhere!!

So, onto the Menu Plan for this week!

Monday -

• Breakfast- Flax & Cranberry Oatmeal, Peach Yogurt, Grape Juice
• Lunch- Roast Beef Sandwich, Progresso Garden Vegetable Soup
• Dinner-Cheese Chicken & Rice Casserole, Broccoli, Bread & Butter

Tuesday - 

• Breakfast- Glutino Strawberry Bright Beginnings Cereal, Apple Slices, Grape Juice
• Lunch- Egg Salad Sandwich, Tossed Salad
• Dinner- Nachos, Spanish Rice, Corn

Wednesday -

• Breakfast- 1 Egg, over-easy, 1 slice of toast, 1 Banana, Grape Juice
• Lunch- Butter Stuffed Shrimp, Rice, Tossed Salad
• Dinner- Garlic Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese sandwiches, Tossed Salad

Thursday -

• Breakfast- Raisin Spice Oatmeal, Yogurt, Grape Juice
• Lunch- Roast Beef Sandwich, Tossed Salad
• Dinner- Oven Baked Chicken, Mushroom Rice, Vegetables

Friday - 

• Breakfast- 1 Slice of toast with PB & J, Yogurt, Grape Juice
• Lunch- OUT (most likely packing sandwiches and fruit)
• Dinner- OUT (the kids are looking forward to the Golden Corral, but I have a hard time finding things I can eat that don't have gluten in them!)

Saturday -

• Breakfast- Pancakes, Sausage links, Bananas, Orange Juice
• Lunch- Turkey Sandwiches, Kids choice of soup
• Dinner- Cheesy Chicken Chowder, Cornbread Muffins

Sunday -

• Breakfast- Breakfast Sandwiches (over easy egg, sausage patty on English muffins), Orange Juice
• Lunch- Leftover Cheesy Chicken Chowder and Cornbread Muffins
• Dinner- Smothered Pork Chops, Seasoned Rice, Vegetables or Tossed Salad

Menu Plan Monday 3/26/12

Last week went well.  We veered off track a little, but not too much.  Everything was a big hit.  We did change it up, and on Wednesday, instead of trying the Tempura batter, my husband made cheeseburgers on the grill and french fries.  I wasn't feeling too well, so I said go for it!

For this week, I am trying a new recipe, and am looking forward to it.  I just love trying new recipes (though I do admit, my family gets a little scared sometimes!).

Sunday - Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
I love Chicken Cordon Bleu!  When I saw this recipe, I was like, YES!  Chicken Cordon Bleu, as a casserole!! Heaven!  If you haven't guessed by now, I love casseroles! :)  I might be slightly addicted to casseroles.  So for this one, I am going to be boiling a small chicken, and will also make some homemade chicken stock (which I have never done before!).  This does call for panko bread crumbs, so I will be using some store bought Gluten Free breadcrumbs instead.

Monday - Hearty Pork Stew
This is a recipe out of a Taste of Home cookbook - Casseroles, Slow Cooker & Soup.   (See, my love of casseroles is showing again!  This is actually a slow cooker stew, it will be served over gluten free pasta.  I have made it before, and my husband loved it.

Tuesday - Nachos
Oh yes, you read right.  Nachos, again!  The kids have told me they want nachos every night, forever, lol.  I told them we can have nachos until I run out of nacho cheese sauce in the freezer!  I am missing my taco salads, lol. :)

Wednesday - Buffalo Chicken Casserole
 Another week with the Buffalo Chicken Casserole.  My husband is truely addicted to buffalo chicken.  He would have this every night (he's like the kids are with their nachos!).  He's lucky it is really good, and it's a casserole!!

Thursday - Chili & Garlic Bread
 Another meal that my husband requested for this week.  The temperatures have dropped back down to seasonal normals from the 80F weather we had last week, the furnace is running again, so Chili is a great comfort meal on a cold day.

Friday - Cheddar Brats & Grandma's Mashed Potatoes
 Even if it's cold, we will be grilling some Brats.  And probably hot dogs for the kids because they don't care for Brats.  Grandma's Mashed Potatoes is a recipe that my husband's grandmother gave to me years ago.  My husband loves them, and now that Grandma is no longer with us, he is always telling me he is so glad I can carry on making these wonderful potatoes.

Saturday - Pizza & Wings
If I didn't have pizza on the menu this week, I would have one upset little boy.  He is so much like his mama, lol.  I could eat pizza all day long, and so could he. :)


Don't forget to check out the Gluten Free Menu Swap, hosted by Heather at Celiac Family this week for some great gluten free menu ideas. 

The theme this weeks is artichokes, yummy!!  I didn't have any artichoke recipes this week, but I do love artichokes!  Next week's theme is Easter!  Also stop over to OrgJunkie and see the Menu Plan Monday line-up!!  I always seem to find some great ideas between these two places!!

Menu Plan Monday - 3/19/12

Last week was very successful.  The menu plan was followed about 99%.  My Seafood Alfredo was so very good.  My daughter loved it, my son decided he liked bay scallops but not the crab or lobster, and my husband decided he doesn't like shellfish and will just stick with regular fish. :)  So, I won't be making it too often.

The Herbed Pork Roast was a huge hit as always.  There was no pork leftovers!   On Taco Tuesday, my son decided we should have Nachos instead, so we did.  He is now calling Tuesday, "Nacho Tuesday"!!

I never ended up making the potato salad, I wasn't feeling so good, having a lot of issues with my blood pressure, so my husband took over and grilled the cheeseburgers and made some french fries.  My son wanted another burger!  He loves cheeseburgers.

On Thursday, we had the Fire Grilled Cod from Schwans.  It was a little bit disappointing.  They so over-seasoned, it was hard to eat.  We won't be getting that again, for the price of it, it wasn't worth it.

We swapped out Friday and Saturday.  My son won out with having pancakes and sausage links for dinner.  So, we each had a giant pancake and some maple flavored sausage links.  Saturday, I made my Chicken Noodle soup.  It was so good!  I did have a little oopsie though, I opened the wrong side on the salt container, and instead of sprinkling in some salt, I dumped in some salt.  Thankfully, there was a lot of water in there, so it wasn't too bad.  Next time, I will be more watchful!

So, onto this weeks menu.

Sunday - Chicken Stroganoff
This is a staple in our home.  It's been a long time since we had this on the menu, so it needs to make an appearance.

Monday - Cheeseburger Macaroni
Another recipe that has become a staple here.  I am so glad that I found this one.  Everyone loves it, and it makes up for the lack of Hamburger Helper here.  We were all Hamburger Helper addicts before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  I don't buy it anymore, so this one is always a hit.  (There seems to be an error at the website where I got this recipe.  My old links to it aren't working anymore either, so I am sorry about that.)

Tuesday - Nachos
When put to a vote, either Tacos or Nachos, this week Nachos won!  I think my family is becoming Nacho addicts.  And this is so simple to make, so I am all for it!  All we do is take some tortilla chips, top them with some taco seasoned meat, and then top it with Nacho cheese sauce.  Easy Peasy!  We will probably have some corn and tossed salad as well.

Wednesday - Tempura Battered Fish, Mushroom Rice
I found some gluten free tempura batter mix at Hannaford last week, so I thought I would give it a try.  I also bought some Flounder, Cod and Tilapia fillets, so I will use one of those.  And of course, we have to have mushroom rice!  That stuff is addicting!

Thursday - Creamy Penne & Ham
I am not sure where I originally found this recipe, I am thinking maybe Walmart's Facebook page?  Anyway, I haven't made it in awhile, and it was really good the last time I made it.

Friday - Pizza & Wings
I am satisfying my son's craving for pizza this week.  He's been asking when we are going to have pizza again.  The family will be eating frozen pizza, I will be making my pizza on an Udi's crust.  The wings are Schwans boneless buffalo wings, so I don't eat those, but the rest of the family will be.  I will be having a salad instead.

Saturday - Shepherd's Pie
Simple and comforting.  I make mine very simply, just ground beef, corn, mushrooms and mashed potatoes.  That is how I grew up eating it, when I see it made with other veggies or with gravy, it seems strange to me. 


This week for the Gluten Free Menu Swap, the theme is cookbook inspiration.  I didn't use a cookbook to plan this week's menu, but I do have a slight obsession/addiction with cookbooks.  I only own two gluten free cookbooks though.  I have only made one recipe from one of them (Risotto with Mushrooms and Herbs from Wheat-Free Recipes & Menus by Carol Fenster, Ph.D.)  It was amazing though, I have actually made it twice.  My first risotto too!  I honestly still use all my old cookbooks and just convert the recipes to be gluten free friendly.

Be sure to check out the Gluten Free Menu Swap this week over at Celiacs In The House.

And don't forget about the Menu Plan line up over at Orgjunkie.com!  Not all the menus are gluten free, but you can get some great ideas!

Herbed Pork Roast

This is one of those dishes that we never have leftovers from.  The pork is so juicy and tender, it falls apart just trying to slice it up.  This is also a very often requested meal from DH and the kids.

Herbed Pork Roast

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Sea Salt (because that is all I use)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (because my press is broke, so am using the jarred stuff)
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Rosemary
1/2 cup water
Pork Roast of desired size (I used an approximately 3lb boneless pork loin)

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients (except the pork and water!) in a small bowl.  Rub the mixture over the entire pork roast.  Place the roast in a large slow cooker (the one I used is a 5qt).  Add the water to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for no more than 8 hours. 

When finished, use the juices in the crock pot to make a gravy.  You won't regret it!!!

Herbed Pork Gravy

Menu Plan Monday 3/12/12

Sunday - Seafood Alfredo over Tinkyada GF Fettuccine noodles
This is going to a fun experiment!  I found some imitation crab meat and lobster meat that has no gluten in it!  So, this Alfredo will be full of crab and lobster meat, as well as some bay scallops.  I really hope this is one the kids will love.  If it is successful, I will try to keep track of the ingredients and post the recipe.

Monday - Herbed Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Since I didn't get to make this on the 3rd like I had planned, we are going to try it this week!  I will be sure to post the recipe soon.  I want to get a photo first.  The gravy that I make from this one is amazing!  DH said it is the best gravy ever!

Tuesday - Tacos or Nachos
Tuesday is always "Taco Tuesday" here.  I think the kids (and DH too!) would really go crazy if we did not have tacos on Tuesday.  But, they decided they like Nachos as well.  So, it will depend on what the kids want for this night.

Wednesday - Cheeseburgers (on GF Chebe rolls), Potato Salad
I have made these rolls....oh my, I have no idea how many times, let's just say I love them!!  I have tried Udi's Hotdog and Hamburger buns, not impressed.  So, instead of wrapping my burger in a big piece of lettuce (which is good by the way), I will be making the Chebe rolls for this one.  My potato salad is just a throw together thing, I have no recipe for it.  DH says I use too much mustard.  I tell DH that I love mustard, lol.

Thursday - Fire Grilled Italian Cod, Rice, Broccoli

Fire Grilled Italian Cod.  Photo from Schwans.com

A new thing from Schwans!  I love cod, so am very excited to try this.  DH and the kids love fish as well, so I have high hopes for this one!  This one also meets their "LiveSmart" guidelines.  I am working on incorporating fish into our meals more often, and eating less red meat.  So far the idea actually got smiles from the family.

Friday -Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
This one is going to be another experiment.  I have never made homemade Chicken Noodle soup before.  I am still debating on which kind of noodles to use.  I really wish I could find GF egg noddles!!

Saturday - Breakfast for Dinner
My 7 year old son, Hunter, requested this one.  He was so excited when I made pancakes for dinner a few weeks ago.  He's been asking for them ever since!!  I use Pamela's Baking Mix for my pancakes, delicious!  So, I am thinking we will be having pancakes and sausage links or bacon, maybe some eggs.  Time will tell!

************************************************

Be sure to check out the Gluten Free Menu Swap for more Gluten Free menu ideas!

Also, check out the Menu Plan Monday blog over at Organizing Junkie, not all the menus are gluten free, but there are some.  And, if you see something you like, convert it to gluten free!! :)

Menu Plan Monday - 3/5/12

Last week was great.  Everything went pretty much as planned, and very little complaints.  I did a lot of cooking and baking and have learned more about gluten free cooking.

The only change was on Saturday.  Instead of cooking the pork roast, I made Cheesy Chicken & Artichoke Lasagna.  Oh my, this was so good!  It was a recipe my friend showed me on Pinterest.  The only problem with it was my box of lasagna noodles says not to precook them.  I have never precooked them when I make my regular lasagna.  Well, for this new lasagna, they are going to have to be precooked, we ended up taking the top layer of noodles off, and even the rest of the noodles weren't cooked all the way.  I will be making it again sometime, I will make sure I post my results.  But, the filling was amazing.  My friend and I both agreed it would also make a delicious hot dip for tortillas!

 So, for this week.....

Sunday - Pizza & Wings
Monday - Parmesan Fried Chicken, Garlic Noodles
Tuesday - Tacos
Wednesday - Brats/Hot Dogs, French Fries
Thursday - Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Friday - Oven Baked Chicken, Mushroom Rice
Saturday - Southwest Cheese Soup, Tossed Salad, Turkey Sandwiches

Check out other Gluten Free menus at the Gluten Free Menu Swap!

Three Cheese Penne & Sausage

I found this recipe in an old Taste of Home mini cookbook.  I did a little tweaking and am very happy with the results.  My husband said this one is a keeper. :)

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) package GF penne pasta (I used Sam Mills Corn penne)
3 Italian sausage links (about 3/4 of a pound)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 cups (16oz) small-curd cottage cheese
1 Tbsp Parsley
1 cup (4oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and place in a bowl.
3. In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink in the center, drain and slice into thin slices.
4. In a saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in the flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper until smooth.  Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for about 2 minutes, or until the milk starts to thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Pour over the pasta and stir to coat.
5. In a bowl, combine the egg, cottage cheese, parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
6. Spoon half of the pasta mixture into a deep, greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish.  (You could also use a 9x13 baking dish.)
7. Top with all of the cottage cheese mixture.
8. Add all of the sausage to the remaining pasta, spoon over the top of the cottage cheese mixture.
9. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 Italian sausage link, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (15oz) jar pizza sauce
1/2 of the pizza sauce jar of water
1 (6.5) can sliced mushrooms
8 oz Elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1 pkg (3 1/2 oz, or 1/2 of a 7 oz package) sliced pepperoni, quartered
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a skillet, break up ground beef and sausage link, add onion and cook until meat is fully cooked.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, using only 2 cups of cheese.
4. Transfer to a greased 2-qt baking dish.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes. During the last few minutes, top with remaining cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Menu Plan Monday - 2/27/12

I am slowly getting back on the ball with my menu planning.  I have been doing good, just not good at blogging.  I haven't blogged in weeks!  On either this blog, or my other blog.  My mind has been elsewhere I guess.  Anyway, here is our menu for the week...

Saturday - Cheesy Chicken Chowder, Cornbread Muffins
Sunday - Pizza Casserole, Tossed Salad
Monday - Buffalo Chicken Chili, Tossed Salad
Tuesday - Nachos
Wednesday - Three Cheese Penne & Sausage, Tossed Salad
Thursday - Hamburger Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Tossed Salad
Friday - Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Saturday - Herbed Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, French Style Green Beans

My cornbread muffin recipe is one that I converted to be gluten free.  I have made these muffins numerous times in the past, but since being gluten free I haven't made them until now.  They turned out wonderful!

My husband requested the buffalo chicken chili again, I think it's turning into his favorite!

If anyone happens to try one of my recipes, or one that I link to, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. :)

I already have next weeks menu ready as well, made grocery shopping really easy this past week.  The only thing I have left to get is some fresh vegetables.

Be sure to check out other Gluten Free Menus and recipes at the Gluten Free Menu Swap!

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

Ingredients:

5 slices of bacon, diced small
3 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp cumin
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth (or water)
5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced
1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste
Green onions for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium high heat until crisp.
2. Add carrot, onion, cumin and garlic to the pot.  Stir fry until the onion is translucent.  Add broth to pot.  Add the potatoes, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add chicken, bring back to a simmer and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Combine flour and milk (mix well), add to the pot and stir until the chowder starts to thicken.
4. Remove from heat, add the cheeses.  Stir until cheeses are melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.


I always serve this with my Cornbread Muffins.  Since that recipe only uses a half a can of corn, I throw the other half of the corn right into the chowder.

Cornbread Muffins - Gluten Free

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill AP GF Flour)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup + 2 Tbsp Buttermilk
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening, melted
1/2 (15.25 oz) can of corn, drained (or if you can find it, 1 (7oz) can of corn, drained)
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In another bowl, combine eggs and buttermilk.
4. Add melted shortening to flour mixture, mix well.  Add egg and buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until batter is moistened.  Fold in corn and cheese.
5. Pour into lightly greased muffin tin cups; fulling 2/3 full.
6. Bake 15 - 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes approximately 18 muffins.

Mushroom Rice

I love rice, love it!  Not everyone in the house loves it, but this rice dish fairs pretty well here.  Delicious! :)

Ingredients:
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
1/2 lb mushrooms (8 oz)
3-4 green onions
1/4 cup water (or chicken broth)

1. Bring rice, salt and 2 cups of water to a boil, cover and cook until desired texture is reached.  (Follow normal cooking directions)
2. Chop mushrooms and green onions.
3. Heat butter in skillet.  Saute mushrooms and onions.  Add water (or broth) and simmer until it reduces.
4. Stir mushrooms and green onions into rice.

Menu Plan Monday - 2/6/12

Last week's Buffalo chicken theme was a tremendous hit!  I have been asked to make some of the dishes again and again, lol.  We shall see. :)

This weeks menu doesn't really have a theme, just things that popped into my head.  And there were a couple things I didn't end up cooking, so they made the menu this week.

Sunday - Cheeseburgers on the grill, fries
Monday - Southwest Cheese Soup, turkey sandwiches
Tuesday - Tacos
Wednesday - Parmesan crusted chicken, mushroom rice
Thursday - Hot Dogs on the grill, potato salad
Friday - Oven baked Tilapia, seasoned rice
Saturday - Cheeseburger Macaroni


We went to BJs and bought  two huge bags of charcoal.  So, even though it's hovering around 10F, BBQ still tastes delicious!!

Gluten Free Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

The original recipe for this came from Once A Month Mom.  I changed a couple of little things, but not too much.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp minced garlic (jarred), or 2 garlic cloves
1/2 a small onion, chopped
3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water (or broth)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Saute garlic, onion and mushrooms in olive oil until tender.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add milk and water to flour mixture.  Add in sauteed garlic, onion and mushrooms.
4. Add salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until desired consistency is reached.

Variation:

Cream of Celery Soup:

Replace 3/4 cup mushrooms with 1/2 cup chopped celery.

Cream of Chicken Soup:

Replace 3/4 cup mushrooms with 1/2 cup cooked, diced chicken.

This recipe is thick.  It is equal to a regular can of condensed soup.  You can use it in place of canned soup in recipes.

I have used the cream of celery soup in a recipe, and it was wonderful.

Menu Plan Monday - 1/30/12

Last week went pretty good.  I am getting back into the swing of things, and it feels good too!!!

So, this week is our week of experiments! I am making a few dishes I have never made before, so we shall see how it goes.

I like to start my menus on Sunday, it's easier for me to do my planning that way.  Sometimes I will even start on Saturdays, just because of the shopping planning.  Anyway, on to our menu for this week!

Sunday - Chicken and Veggie Pot Pie (this is always a big hit!)

Monday - Buffalo Chicken Chili - Slow cooker, tossed salad

Tuesday - Tacos

Wednesday - Cheeseburger Macaroni

Thursday - Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Friday - Southwest Cheese Soup, Tossed Salad, Turkey Sandwiches

Saturday - Buffalo Chicken & Potato Casserole


A little about our choices this week (DH and I always plan the meals together).  We love Buffalo chicken wings, if you haven't guessed by now!  So, anything to do with Buffalo chicken, we are willing to give it a try.  We even had Buffalo chicken dip this past weekend for snack!  The chili is going to be different for me to make.  I have never strayed from my traditional chili before, I am even thinking of calling it something other than chili just so it doesn't affect my thoughts on chili, lol.

I have seen the Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe on a few Gluten Free blogs over the last few months, so thought I would give it a try.  I love one dish dinners, they are so easy!  The family love them too.

The Southwest Cheese Soup appealed to DH because it uses Velveeta cheese, lol.  He loves his Velveeta!!

And of course, another Buffalo chicken recipe.  This one calls for a can of cream of celery soup, which you know if you are gluten free, you can can't have it.  I actually did buy a can, and was going to just risk the side effects, but then found a great recipe for making your own!!!!  Check it out, I really hope it helps. :)  So, instead of using that can of soup I bought, I am going to try to make my own cream of celery soup.  That recipe is equivalent to one can of condensed soup.  I am pretty excited to try to make my own Cream of Something soups!!

I have to go back to the store sometime this week though.  I forgot the buy the chicken breast for the casserole (totally did not put it on my list!) and I got the wrong kind of potatoes.  I got shredded hashbrowns instead of the cubed hashbrowns.  I may just use the shredded though.  But, I have to go get chicken anyway, so...we will see.

Menu Plan Monday - 1/23/12

Big lack in posting menus.  There is a reason behind that (besides being a slacker!).  I had surgery on Halloween, and my menus have pretty much gone out the window since then, along with my ambition.  But, I made a menu this morning and went to town and got a few groceries.  So, here it is, starting with Sunday (today) because I like it that way, lol.

Sunday -  Nachos

Monday - Chili

Tuesday - Tacos

Wednesday - Brats, Garlic Noodles

Thursday - Chicken & Rice Casserole

Friday - Pizza, Chicken Wings

That's as far as I got this week.  Saturday will have to wait. :)  Lets try again for next week!

Gluten Free Macaroni & Cheese

This is my grandmother's recipe that I have loved since I was a kid.  Now I make it gluten free style with a couple little tweeks.  Warning:  This is by far not the healthiest recipe in the world, this is definitely a comfort, eat on the rare occastion type meal.

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) package of Gluten Free elbow macaroni (I love Tinkyada's Rice Elbows) cooked Al Dente
1 small to medium onion, minced
1 can evaporated milk
1 stick of butter (cut in half lengthwise, and again, then cut into cubes)
1 (8oz) brick sharp cheddar cheese (cubed about the same size as the butter)
1 (8oz) brick monterey jack cheese (same as above)

Combine all ingredients in a 9 x 13 baking dish and cook at 375F for 35-40 minutes or until the top starts to get browned.  Stir halfway through cooking.