Continue reading]]> It’s no secret that I love to cook.  I know cookbooks are a little outdated (everyone uses Google these days, right?).  I guess I’m an old school nerd because I love to flip through cookbooks and see the colorful pages and, well, touch them.  I think they look so pretty on the shelf and I love to look at these in my kitchen to help inspire me.

Before I go into the list, I must say I’m an immensely simple person (don’t tell my husband, he won’t believe you!).  My taste in cookbooks reflects that style.  I like simple recipes that are fast to make and healthy.  I know some people really like to make fancy dinners.  Not me.  Nope.  Keep in mind that I love simplicity with this list of favorite cookbooks.

Here’s my Top 10 Cookbooks

NUMBER 10

This should be everyone’s first cookbook.  It’s an updated classic and still many seasoned cook’s favorite book. It goes through all of the basics of cooking in depth and has amazing go-to recipes in it.  It would make a fabulous wedding gift or would be perfect for that college student that is just starting out.

NUMBER 9

A friend mentioned to me (thanks Janna!) that this was Deseret Book’s top selling book for this week.  I like how the recipes are broken down into seasons (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall).  And I love the colors, pictures, and simplicity of the recipes in this cookbook.

NUMBER 8

I love this cookbook for entertaining.  The recipes are timeless, interesting, and innovative.  I don’t use this cookbook on a daily basis, but I do get it out for special occasions.

NUMBER 7

If you read my blog, you know I have a ‘thing’ for food preservation.  I even have a bigger thing for Mason jars.  I think they are just lovely and I use them pretty much every day for different uses.  I love that this cook shows how to preserve in small amounts, which is a necessity for the modern cook.

NUMBER 6

If you’re looking for easy birthday ideas for kids OR for a great way to spend an afternoon cooking with your children, I highly recommend this cook book.  It’s chocked full of easy recipes that even teens can make and they look like you’ve spent all day on them.  I also recommend the companion cookbook “What’s new Cupcake?”

NUMBER 5

Another great family cookbook is this Williams Sonoma “Cooking Together Cookbook”.  I love any excuse to spend time with my kids and they all like to help cook.

NUMBER 4

I love being able to plan my dinners in the morning (when I have lots of energy) and have them cook long and slow and be ready in the evening (when I’m exhausted and tempted to serve cereal for dinner).  To top it off, I really adore Stephanie O’dea’s sense of humor.

NUMBER 3

My husband got me this book as a gift and it’s a wonderful cookbook full of everything you could ever think of to make.  This would make a wonderful gift for anyone just starting out on their own.

NUMBER 2

A friend showed me this cookbook at her home and I just fell in love (it was one of her favorites too).  I like the simplicity and how versatile this cookbook is.  The cover isn’t very exciting, but what is inside definitely is!

NUMBER 1

This is my very favorite cookbook.  I love the photos of every dish.  I love the family photos that are incorporated into the cookbook.  I love Rue Drummon’s honest style and practical recipes.  This cookbook is very colorful and so fun to look through and read.

Continue reading]]> I recently had the chance to review Zipzicle popsicle bags.  There is a giveaway on our Facebook page going on right now.  I am smitten! They are great for a quick healthy snack and are so much healthier than Otter Pops.  I think they are such a great idea!

I just made 45 Zipzicle popsicles for a family reunion and would love to share my Zipzicle recipes with you.

You want your puree to be a little runny so it will run easily through a funnel, so keep that in mind.  You may want to adjust the water based on your funnel size.  I used this funnel and this blender.  The zipzicle holds 2.5 oz.  If there is any puree left over, just drink it or give it to your kids!  Yum….

Strawberry Banana Zipzicle Recipe

2 cups Strawberries

1 large banana

1 cup water

1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 T. agave (optional)

Blend to desired consistency.  Use a funnel to pour juice into the Zipzicle bag.

Peach, Strawberry, Banana Zipzicle Recipe

2 peaches (skin on)

1 cup strawberries

1 banana

1 cup water

1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

2-4 T. agave (optional)

Blend to desired consistency.  Use a funnel to pour juice into the Zipzicle bag.

Blueberry Lemonade Zipzicle Recipe

1 cup blueberries

1 cup lemonade (We used Archer Farms organic)

1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Blend to desired consistency.  Use a funnel to pour juice into the Zipzicle bag.

Pear Raspberry Zipzicle Recipe

1 ripe pear (cored and seeded)

1/4 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup (or to taste) coconut water.

Blend to desired consistency.  Use a funnel to pour juice into the Zipzicle bag.

Pina Colada Zipzicle Recipe

1 cup 100% pineapple juice

1/4 cup cream of coconut (Skim the solids of the top and reserve the clear liquid for something else. Sweetened coconut milk would also work instead of the cream of coconut)

2 T. crushed pineapple

1/2 tsp. mexican vanilla (optional)

Blend to desired consistency.  Use a funnel to pour juice into Zipzicle bag.

Virgin Mojito Zipzicle Recipe

1 cup lemonade (We used Archer Farms organic)

1/2 of a small small lime (peeled)

2 large-ish mint leaves

3 T. agave (optional)

Blend to desired consistency.  Use a funnel to pour juice into the Zipzicle bag.

To buy directly from the company, go to their website here

Continue reading]]> We made these gluten free lemon cookies for a neighborhood party this summer and they were a big hit!  They are soft and chewy and just plain delicious!  We used this gluten free flour.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.  If you have any questions, please post a comment and I will answer it to the best of my ability!

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Making kale chips in the oven is so incredibly easy and I think it’s pretty tasty and an easy snack to make.  Kale is very healthy for you and I don’t really like the flavor raw or in smoothies unfortunately, so this is a palatable way for me to eat it.

Here’s how to make kale chips in the oven

1. Wash and dry 1 bunch of kale
2. Put a piece of parchment on a cookie sheet and break up kale into bite sized pieces and spread out on the cookie sheet.
3. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the kale and really rub it in so each piece is covered.
4. Add some Himalayan Sea Salt and crushed black pepper.  You could also add some dairy free (or regular) paremsan cheese but that’s optional.
5. Bake at 250 degrees for about 40 minutes (or until crispy) stirring half way through.

Here’s what it looks like after it’s been cooked and cooled and is ready to eat!  Please post a comment if you have any questions on how to make Kale chips.

Continue reading]]> My 12 year old daughter made this gluten free dairy free white chocolate chip cookie recipe yesterday for family night and they were so delicious!  They tasted just like their non-gluten-free counterparts.  Thank you to the cookie goddess who brought us a little bit of heaven last night as it doesn’t happen every day around here!

Continue reading]]> My kids love smoothies and this healthy strawberry banana smoothie recipe is my go to when we have company over or if we are just looking for a refreshing and healthy treat.  You don’t have to have a Blendtec blender, that’s ok. Just use what you have. But, if you plan to have smoothies often, I would highly recommend investing in one. I make a green smoothie every day for breakfast, and other blenders I’ve tried just didn’t hold a candle to the Blendtec. I’ve had mine for several years and it’s the most used kitchen appliance in my house. I can’t say enough good things about it!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

(put in blender in the order listed)

1 ripe banana

1 small can pineapple canned with natural juice and no sugar (optional).  Dump in the whole thing.  If you don’t use pineapple, add in a tablespoon of agave nectar or honey to sweeten the smoothie.

1-2 cups coconut milk (or milk of your choice).  Use less for a thicker smoothie.

1 T. chia seed, a super-food and full of omega 3’s (they are tasteless)

2 T. gogi berry, a super-food, kind of tastes like a raisin.

2 cups frozen strawberries

3 ice cubes

Blend twice on the frozen fruits function of the blender.

Additional things you could add: (unsweetened sparkling water instead of coconut milk, 2 c. spinach, grapes, honey, or mango)

Serve with an ice cub and a bendy straw and you’re done!  In case you are wondering, the cups were purchased on ebay.

Continue reading]]> My sister in law recommended a restaurant / bakery to us when we were visiting Seattle.  She knows our family is gluten and dairy free and Seattle really caters to our dietary lifestyle a lot more than Utah does!  The restaurant she suggested was called Flying Apron. Boy was she right, we loved it!

Everything in the Flying Apron Cafe is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.  I can’t even tell you what it means to me to go into a restaurant and be able to eat ANYTHING I want off of the menu.  Usually, there is only one thing on a menu that I can have when I go to a “regular” restaurant, so this was like heaven, dessert heaven!  I thought the prices were reasonable and the food was really tasty.

The people that worked there were incredibly nice and helpful as well.  They even let me video their secret recipe for dairy free Italian sodas.  See that video and the recipe (which I have since used at home several times) at the bottom of the post.  Also notice that the Italian Soda is also sugar free (as long as you use a sugar free flavor syrup).  I have also used 100% fruit juices in the Italian sodas I have made at home and they are really delicious.

Also check out the Flying Apron’s events.  They have a family game night and a live music night.  We were not there for an event, but they look really fun!

We tried out a lot of different things while we were there so I could give an honest review.  We had the kale salad, sweet potato curry pie, tomato basil soup, and shepherds pie.  Everything was really tasty, but the sweet potato curry was the absolute favorite and the one that everyone at our table liked the best.

For desserts we had the sugar cookies, lemon poppyseed muffin, pumpkin muffin, chocolate muffin, apricot jam thumb print cookie, cinnamon roll, etc.  All the desserts were really good.  If you don’t like anything they sell, they have a 100% satisfaction guaranteed and they will give you something else.  I didn’t prefer the pumpkin muffin and they gave me a chocolate one instead that I liked much better. They also have a 50% off on day old desserts.  I am not a big fan of day old gluten free desserts, so those weren’t my favorite.  I would suggest the fresh desserts.  I wish I would have tried the cake, what was I thinking?!  I will have to go back again next time we visit the Seattle area.

 Here is a video of the restaurant itself and what food they offer

Here is another video from the Flying Apron on how to make a gluten free dairy free Italian Soda

Italian Soda Recipe

2 T. flavoring of your choice (caramel was used in the video)

1 cup sparkling water

1/4 cup of coconut milk

1/4 cup ice

Stir well, or blend in a blender.  My Blendtec makes a mean Italian Soda!

If you have any questions please post a comment and I would be happy to answer as soon as I can!

Continue reading]]> I used to have a crock pot, a rice cooker, and a steamer.  Now I just have an instant pot pressure cooker.  It slow cooks, steams, and pressure cooks.  Best of all, it makes the most amazing rice in about 15 minutes!  It’s so easy, all you do is pour the rice and water in, put the lid on, plug it in and press a button to start it.  It’s that easy!

Instant Pot Rice Recipe

2 cups white rice

3 1/2 cups water

1 tsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp. salt

Check out our pressure cooking section for more instant pot recipes!  We add more all the time so stay tuned.

Continue reading]]> I have planted pickling cucumbers in my garden this year.  They are so cute and little!  I started them from local heirloom seeds in the spring and they are flourishing now in the summer.  We love to snack on pickles all year round.  When I have a lot of pickles, I will steam can a batch for food storage.  You can see my How to Pickle post here for long term storage. Today I am going to show you an easy recipe for pickles that is not steam canned, but simply fresh pickles stored in the refrigerator. You don’t necessarily have to use pickling cucumbers for this recipe.  I used a mixture of regular ones from my garden and the pickling cucumbers from my garden.  Just make sure if you use regular ones that they are small in size, mini is best because they are more crunchy.  Here’s how to make refrigerator bread and butter pickles.

These pickles will last up to a month in a glass jar when prepared this way.

Step #1: Pick and Wash Cucumbers

Step #2: Slice

I like to slice mine a little thick because as they sit in the salt and the pickling juice, they will lose quite a bit of their moisture.  You will need 4-5 cups total.  They will reduce in size later.  A crinkle cutter might be a good addition here.  I was too lazy to bother

Step #3: Soak and Rinse

Soak the cucumbers in 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Pickling Salt for 90 minutes in a bowl on the counter.  Wait.  Wait. Wait.  Then rinse. Rinse. Rinse.  I used a colander and rinsed thoroughly 4 or 5 times under the sink sprayer.

Step #4: Make Brine Recipe in a Saucepan

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup dried onion, reconstituted (or 1 fresh onion chopped small)

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, unpacked

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, with the mother

1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp celery seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp minced garlic

Directions for brine: Add brine ingredients into a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat until boiling and all of the sugar is dissolved.  Cool slightly and then pour into a clean, large jar (I used an old gallon pickle jar from the grocery store that had been sanitized).   Add in rinsed cucumbers, put the lid on, and let sit in the fridge for 24 hours.  Then they are ready to eat!

Easy, huh?  My kids love these.  I leave them out on the counter for them to snack on all day.

If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment and I will answer it to the best of my ability.  Thanks for stopping by!

Continue reading]]> I have these lovely local heirloom beans in my garden.  They start of green and then turn a pretty yellow color when they are ready to pick.  My family loves to eat them (I even eat them raw, without cooking them).  However, one bush creates a lot more than we can eat in a reasonable amount of time.  So, I sought out how to freeze them with the least amount of work possible while still maintaining their color, texture, and taste.  I don’t see any reason to blanch them if you use this method, as long as you reheat them with water, they should taste great.  Here’s the steps for how to freeze green beans without blanching:

Step #1: Pick and Wash

Dry as well as possible before bagging up.

Step #2 Chop

Chop of the top and bottom of the bean and then cut beans in half for bite sized pieces.

Step #3: Freeze

Simply put in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.  You can keep adding beans later as you pick them!

Please post a comment if you have any questions and I would be happy to answer them to the best of my ability.  Thanks for looking and good luck with your gardening this year!  Sorry about the somewhat blurry photos.  My camera’s memory card broke and i had to use my cell phone which at least is consistent about one thing – blurry photos.