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