Menu Plan Monday 6/10/13

So, the gluten eating I mentioned in my last post, yeah, that didn't go so well.  Denial and all that, so we are back to gluten-free after almost a year of eating gluten.  I have been gluten-free again for four days, and I am hoping to start feeling better very soon.

Monday-
Buffalo Rubbed Delmonico Steaks on the grill with baked potatoes

Tuesday -
Nachos

Wednesday-
Oven baked fish with rice and broccoli

Thursday-
Chicken and Veg Pot Pie

Friday -
Pizza

Saturday-
Grilled Pork Chops with Grilled vegetables

Sunday -
Cheeseburgers with Potato Salad

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 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 - 3/5/12

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.

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.

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.

Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

We were going to make Spider cookies for my son's Halloween party today, but he doesn't eat chocolate (his choice!) and didn't want to bring them.  So instead we made his favorite, Peanut Butter No-Bake cookies!!  I always made the normal chocolate ones, but he won't eat chocolate, so I took the regular recipe I had and made it into a peanut butter version!  They are yummy!!

Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
(makes approx. 3 dozen, depending on the size you make them)

1 stick of butter
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
3/4 -1 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick oats (make sure they are gluten free, I honestly don't see how they would have gluten, but some people say to make sure they are gluten free!)

In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and milk.  Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and boil for about 2 minutes (make sure you boil it!! I forgot to do that for the first batch last night, and although they are still yummy, they won't set.  They are pretty smushy!)

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the peanut butter until it's completely melted.  Add the oats and stir it until it's completely combined.

Spoon the cookies onto waxed paper and let them set out for at least 10 minutes before you dig in and start eating them, lol.

We make these a lot.  They never last long in this house!!!