Easy 10 Minute Recipe for Spicy Shrimp Marinara

Spicy Shrimp Marinara Over Spaghetti

Tomorrow will mark the first day of summer for me. My oldest son will have his last day of school and I will no longer have to do the daily running out the door before we are late for school routine (at least for a couple of months). Plus there will be trips to my in-laws house and peace and quiet for me for at least a few days. I might actually be able to catch up on some reading and get ahead on blog posts. However, my oldest claims that I am a mean mommy since I insist on work books throughout the summer months. I have high expectations for my children and I hate the idea of them losing knowledge through the summer. Another sign of summer in my house is the arrival of lots of seafood dishes. My kids are big fans of shrimp and I try to make it at least once every couple of weeks, especially during the warmer months. Last week I tried a new recipe for Spicy Shrimp Marinara from the Everyday Food insert of Martha Stewart Living magazine.

This recipe has three ingredients in the marinara and five in the main recipe. It takes 10 minutes of total time (not including the time to make the marinara), all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First since I was serving 6 people (my in-laws were in town) I doubled the recipe. I also chose to leave out the red pepper flakes and add them at the table for individual servings. My father-in-law doesn't enjoy spicy foods, so doing the red pepper flakes in this manner allowed everyone to eat the recipe. I served my portion over gluten free ziti and the rest of the servings over spaghetti for the remainder of my family.

Everyone that tried this recipe loved it. The flavors were delicious and the recipe is beyond easy. I allowed my garlic to caramelize, which created a nice undertone to the dish. For anyone trying this recipe I would suggest doing this modification as well. This is a nice simple recipe that would work well year round.

For the recipe go to Spicy Shrimp Marinara.

Asian Style Chicken and Rice Recipe

Asian Style Chicken and Rice

I have two boys and each of them has their own unique food habits. My youngest loves cheese while my oldest has decided that he is currently not eating any. The youngest loves spicy foods, my oldest hates them. They can both agree on a few foods. Rice and chicken are two of their favorite foods. They will literally eat plain rice out of the fridge as a snack. I like rice as much as the next person, but they take it to a whole new level. Since they can be hit or miss with so many other foods I try to make chicken at least once a week and rice is always a popular side dish. This week I tried a new recipe for Asian Style Chicken and Rice from Everyday Food magazine.

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 50 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. This recipe was very straight forward so I only made a few changes. First the sliced shiitake mushrooms that I could find and purchase were 5 ounces. So instead of using the remainder in another recipe I just added all 5 ounces. Since I added more mushrooms I found that my total cooking time was increased by approximately 5 minutes. Also make sure to trim the extra fat from your chicken thighs or your rice will end up greasy. Finally, I made my own chicken stock which I do not salt. This allows me to control the amount of sodium in my recipes.

While the title of this recipe is Asian style, the recipe resembled Southern style chicken and rice. The ginger added flavor, without making the dish taste overly Asian inspired. This would be a recipe that people that like traditional American cooking would enjoy and not even notice the ginger. That being said my family liked this recipe, especially my two boys. The rice turned out perfect and the chicken was very moist.

For the recipe go to Asian Style Chicken and Rice.

Recipe for Lighter Chocolate Cherry Muffins

Gluten Free Lighter Cherry and Dark Chocolate Muffins

The hardest thing for me after I stopped eating gluten was the lack of snacks. Most store bought gluten free snacks taste similar to cardboard and still cost an arm and a leg. After trying every type of snack that I could eat at the store I finally gave up and started cooking all my snacks from scratch. Cooking gluten free from scratch proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be. The type of flour and the amount of leavening ingredients can have a great impact on the outcome of the food. This week I tried a new recipe for gluten free Lighter Chocolate Cherry Muffins from Everyday Food magazine.

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 12 servings. I did make a number of modifications to the original recipe. First the original recipe was not gluten free. I ended up making two versions of this recipe, one with gluten for the rest of my family and another batch gluten free for myself. For the gluten free version I used gluten free Bisquick. My baking time was longer than the recipe stated, by approximately 5 minutes. The gluten free version actually rose better and came out lighter than the gluten version. I think the regular version needed 1/2 cup more baking mix than the original recipe used.

These muffins taste a little bit sweet, but not anything like a cupcake. If you are looking for a sweet muffin, this recipe wouldn't fit your needs. The muffins turned out light with a hint of sweetness from the cherries and chocolate chips. I liked that the muffins weren't overly sweet so they were perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

For the recipe go to Lighter Chocolate Cherry Muffins.

Crock Pot Italian Braised Pork

Crock-Pot Italian Braised Pork

If you've read my blog for any given amount of time you know that I love my crock-pot. My weekdays tend to be busy and with two boys they are often chaotic. There are many great recipes that take hours to cook and are well worth it. However, oftentimes I need recipes that taste good while still being quick to prepare. I love that with the slow cooker all I have to do is add the ingredients in the morning and by dinner it is done without much fuss. Pork is one of my favorite crock-pot meals. It almost always turns out tender and makes enough for multiple meals. This week I tried a new recipe for Italian Braised Pork from the Everyday Food insert of Martha Stewart Living magazine.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 4 hours 20 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I was unable to find a 2 1/2 pound pork shoulder so instead I bought a 7 pound roast and cut it to the correct size. Instead of using couscous, I substituted basmati rice. At the table I added chopped parsley.

I found that this recipe made way more than the 4 servings suggested by the recipe. There was enough for dinner for my family of four plus leftovers for two more lunches. The flavor of this dish is subtle so it would work well for people that love pork but aren't fans of a lot of spice in their dishes. My husband wished that it had had more of a kick. For similar people wanting a little more kick a small amount, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon, of crushed red pepper would create a little more heat.

For the recipe go to Italian Braised Pork.

Flourless Chocolate-Coconut Drops

I love chocolate. Not just a little bit, but I literally eat a dark chocolate candy bar every weekend when I go grocery shopping. Since I have such a large sweet tooth I also workout on the treadmill for an hour a day and rarely sit down until the evening rolls around. I don't believe in denying myself the foods that I love, but instead I eat everything in moderation and make reasonable substitutions when available. It helps that I also am now gluten free so I snack a great deal less. The pre-packaged gluten free options are very expensive and honestly most of them are not delicious. I would love to say that I am always motivated to cook and bake from scratch, but I am human and oftentimes lack the desire to go in the kitchen and make myself something to eat. I try to stick with recipes that are easy to make and take little prep and cooking time. Last week I tried a new recipe for Flourless Chocolate-Coconut Drops from Everyday Food magazine, which looked like an incredibly easy gluten free snack recipe.

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 2 dozen cookies. For whatever reason every store in my area is currently out or no longer stocks dutch process cocoa powder. Due to this fact I used regular cocoa powder. I had no problems finding any of the other ingredients and made no substitutions. It took a bit of mixing to combine the ingredients and my cookies came out perfect so don't worry if you have to stir numerous times to ensure that all the cookies are fully mixed. Finally, watch the cookies in the oven. Mine took exactly 15 minutes to bake and would have burned left in any longer. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

These cookies turned out delicious. I like that they don't use flour so they are gluten free without having any aftertaste from using gluten free flour. The texture is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside which is both adult and kid friendly. These cookies would be great for a holiday cookie plate for a friend or family member eating gluten free while still yummy enough to serve at a party for all types of guests.

For the recipe go to Flourless Chocolate-Coconut Drops.

Stir-Fried Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

I miss living in an area with a vast number of restaurants. Growing-up there were restaurants on almost every block and pretty much every type of food you can think of was available. Now I live in a college town with tons of pizza and fast food. I am happy that one of the local pizza places now has gluten free pizza, so at least I can eat at one of the places in town. Since our dining out options are limited I have learned to make most dishes from scratch. The great thing is that many dishes are easy to replicate at home and taste just as good if not better than those available at restaurants. One of my favorite dishes to make at home is sweet and sour chicken. It is so much cheaper and you can modify the amount of fat. Last night I tried a new recipe for Stir-Fried Sweet-and-Sour Chicken from Everyday Food magazine, which with only 20 minutes of total time looked perfect for a busy weeknight meal.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. Instead of cutting the ginger into matchsticks I chose to finely grate it. My two boys aren't fans of ginger when it is made into matchsticks so this modification insured that they would actually eat the dish. I did make a few more changes. I chose to use a whole Serrano instead of a half and I used closer to a half of a pineapple instead of a 1/4. Finally, I served the dish over brown rice instead of white since we rarely eat white rice. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My oldest son really enjoyed the pineapple in this dish. I was happy that pineapple is inexpensive currently and the recipe took very little time to prepare. My husband thought the recipe was fine, but was very simple in taste. He would have preferred if the dish had more flavors other than ginger and apricot. At the table my husband and I added crushed red pepper to our servings and this helped to add more dimension to the recipe.

For the recipe go to Stir-Fried Sweet-and-Sour Chicken.

Beef and Apricot Stew

You are probably tired of me talking about stews. In the fall and winter months I make soups and stews at least once a week and I must say they are one of my favorite foods. If you read my blog regularly you know that both by how much I talk about my love of soups/stews and how many recipes I post. I promise that come spring I will be back to lighter fair, but until then stews will be a staple. It helps that both of my sons are huge stew eaters. So much so that my son's birthday was this past weekend and that was what he requested for his birthday dinner. Love that kid. Beef stew is probably my favorite type of stew. It is comforting and re-heats well for lunches. Last weekend I tried a new recipe for Beef and Apricot Stew from Everyday Food (the last issue-boo!), which looked simple and perfect for fall.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes a total of 1 hour 55 minutes, 25 minutes of which is active and makes 6 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store with the exception of the lamb which was supposed to be the main ingredient. I have a horrible time finding lamb in my area. I am hoping that since we now have a new International market that I might have more luck. Since lamb was non-existent I substituted beef. Two things that I would change about this recipe. The ginger sticks weren't popular in my house. Instead of making sticks I would suggest grating the ginger on a micro plane. This would allow the flavor, but not make large sticks of ginger which my kids pretty much hated. Additionally, I would cut down on the amount of apricots to 1/2 cup. Using 3/4 of a cup of apricots was just too many. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

With an hour and a 1/2 in the oven this recipe takes a little bit of pre-planning. However, any good stew is worth the wait. If you implement the changes that I made above  I think this stew could be a great fall and winter staple recipe. Plus it's gluten free which works great for my dietary needs.

For the recipe go to Beef and Apricot Stew.

Roasted Chicken with Basil and Snap Peas

My oldest son is in love with roasted chicken. He is in a very picky food stage and has decided that he pretty much doesn't eat anything. It seems that every week he changes what foods he hates. Last month he loved soup, then this week he informed me that he will no longer eat any type of soup. I know a large part of it has to do with being in school. He is strongly influenced by what his friends like and dislike. I just wish that his friends were a little less finicky. Luckily I still have a couple years until my youngest starts school and the real food struggles begin. Roasted chicken has become a weekly staple in our house since my son loves it. While he might turn his nose up at everything else, roasted chicken still holds a place in his heart. Last week I made a new recipe for Chicken and Snap Peas from Everyday Food magazine, which looked perfect for my picky oldest son.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes a total time of 30 minutes, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I did make a few changes. Instead of cutting-up a whole chicken (which I hate) I bought half thighs and half drumsticks. My boys prefer the drumsticks while my husband and I are bigger fans of thighs. The recipe uses 1/2 pound of snap peas, but I chose to use closer to a pound since my boys love them so much. Finally, the recipe states that it takes 8-10 minutes to brown the chicken. I used a stainless steal pan and it normally takes around 15-20 minutes to get a nice crispy skin. If you use a non-stick pan to brown your chicken I would suggest changing this method. In order to get beautiful crisp chicken skin you must use a regular pan. Non-stick pans are great for some things, but browning chicken is non one of them. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys really enjoyed this recipe. I wouldn't say that it has an intense flavor. The flavor from the basil in subtle, but when combined with the vinegar it works well. The chicken came out moist and not overdone. If you like more kick I would suggest adding additional red-pepper flakes up to a full teaspoon.

For the recipe go to Chicken and Snap Peas.

Beef Stew with Potatoes and Parsnips

I absolutely love soup and stews. There is something incredibly comforting about making and eating a big batch of homemade soup. The last couple of months my two boys and I have seemed to be passing the same cold back and forth between the three of us. As soon as one of us gets better the next one gets sick. Since we have all been feeling under the weather I have been making a large number of soups. Plus cold weather and soup seem to go hand in hand, so it works all around. My whole family seems well this week just as the weather has gotten much colder so it's time again for a new round of soup and stew recipes. I love being able to eat the leftovers from a batch of soup I make on the weekend. It is a quick and hearty lunch option. Last month I made a new recipe for Beef Stew with Potatoes and Parsnips from Everyday Food magazine, which looked hearty and perfect for the colder weather ahead.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes a total time of 1 1/2 hours, 25 minutes of which is active, and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local store. I did make a few modifications in order to make the recipe gluten free. Instead of using all-purpose flour I substituted gluten free cornstarch. I do this frequently with recipes and it works very well. I made this dish in my dutch oven. If you don't already own and use a dutch oven, I highly recommend it for your holiday wish list. My dutch oven is one of my favorite kitchen tools. The recipe suggests letting the stew cook for an hour in the oven. I actually let my stew cook for slightly longer in order for the stew to fully thicken. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was really impressed with this recipe. It came out tender and delicious with little effort. I liked that this stew only takes an hour and a half instead of the 2-3 hours required by a lot of other beef stew recipes. Adding the vinegar at the end of the cooking takes this soup from good to delicious. I was skeptical when I added the vinegar, but after tasting it it made all the difference to the final taste. I will definitely make this stew again.

For the recipe go to Beef Stew with Potatoes and Parsnips.

Roasted Chicken with Tangerines and Olives

My two sons are really into the holidays this year. Last year my youngest was just too little to really understand what was going on around him and my oldest just wasn't interested. This year is a total 180. They had great fun picking out a little tree that they could place on a table and decorate all by themselves. Granted mommy did have to steer them away from the horribly tacky ornaments and towards a color scheme that would match the rest of my decorations. Then I had the task of explaining that since I was hosting Thanksgiving that the tree would have to wait to be put up until Friday morning. Needless to say that didn't go over too well. I think this might also be the last year for Santa with my oldest. He has made more than one hint that his friends have been talking about who the 'real Santa' is. I am very proud of him though for still keeping up appearances for his younger brother. It's the small gestures like these that make me happy that my kids have each other for brothers. So as Thanksgiving week begins I am very thankful for the fact that my family has each other and that my kids are turning into great little men. However, the one exception to their normally great behavior is food. When they were younger they ate anything. Then about 6 months ago everything began to change. Now they eat more than I would think would be possible for their size, but have also become very, very picky. Luckily they love chicken and it has become my fall back protein choice. Recently I tried a new recipe for Roasted Chicken with Tangerines and Olives from Everyday Food magazine which looked very simple and full of protein.

This recipe has 6 ingredients. It takes a total time of 50 minutes, 10 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. The one big modification that I made to this recipe is to use chicken thighs and drumsticks instead of a whole chicken. I absolutely hate butchering chickens. Any other type of meat I have no problems with, but chicken drives me crazy. Granted it would help if I had more disposable income and could afford the awesome knives that they have on all the cooking shows. As it is I have the knives that I can afford and even when I sharpen them before every use they are still not great for butchering chicken. So I took the easy way out and bought pre-packaged thighs and drumsticks. For the olives I used stuffed green olives. My two kids love pimentos and they are the easiest type of olive to find in my area, so I used them. Honey is a food that I am particular about. I always buy as local of a honey as I can find. My husband and two boys both have nasty allergies and the closer the honey the better. Luckily there are multiple local honey producers in the immediate area that I live, which is great. Finally, I allowed my chicken to cook slightly longer than the final 10 minutes suggested by the recipe. I prefer my skin to be crispy and well browned so I allowed an additional 5 minutes of baking time. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys were big fans of this recipe. They loved the olives and ate the majority of the roasted tangerine slices. I liked that the recipe was very simple and had 53 grams of protein per serving. I try to make most of my family's dinners high in protein so this recipe was a perfect fit. If you aren't a fan of chicken skin this recipe would also work with skinned chicken. I would suggest keeping on the skin until the last ten minutes, then remove it and baste the meat with the honey and tangerine mixture. Overall a simple and sweet roasted chicken recipe.

For the recipe go to Roasted Chicken with Tangerines and Olives.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread or Muffins

Cold season has definitely hit my house. My two boys and I seem to have had a cold for the last two weeks straight. I am not one of those people that does well sick. I tend to be irritable and a wee bit snappy. It doesn't help that last winter the cold that I had turned into pneumonia and then two trips to the ER and a hospital stay. I think the whole ordeal has me a little paranoid. Add that to the fact that the two times I have intended to get my flu shot this year some sort of mini-issue has prevented it from happening. Luckily I got the pneumonia shot last year and I am determined to get my flu shot before the end of the month. The beginning of cold/flu season always has me thinking of food. Weird I know, but colder weather and feeling under the weather makes me long for soup and comfort food. As I have talked about before this is my favorite time of the year. I absolutely love fall flavors, with pumpkin being my number one favorite fall food. However, this is the first year I have been eating completely gluten free, so things have been a little different. The fall back staples in my fall recipe file have had to be modified. Some recipes have worked gluten free really well. Others have been pretty much disasters. Last month I tried a new recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread from Everyday Food which worked great as both bread and muffins.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 1 1/2 of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 8 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I found a great coconut flour based all-purpose gluten free flour which I love. It makes the best cookies and baked goods and my kids can't tell the difference from regular wheat flour. Make sure to not overly beat the mixture once the pumpkin and buttermilk is added. Overly stirring will cause the bread to not rise properly and have a dense, not fluffy texture. I had to cover the bread with foil approximately a half an hour into baking to prevent over browning. I actually made this recipe twice. The first time as bread and the second time as muffins. For the muffins I made 12 total and baked them for approximately 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. I used muffins liners since I love how they look and they are so much easier to deal with than trying to get muffins out of a pan. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys loved this bread. It doesn't have an overly strong nutmeg/cinnamon flavor. If you are a fan of a strong spice flavor I would recommend adding a small amount of ground cloves to the recipe or even a bit of ginger. I often add ground cloves to my pumpkin bread recipes and it does a great job of adding a little something extra. This recipe worked well as both bread and muffins and we ate the whole bread in less than a day. A great gluten free recipe that I will definitely make again.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread.

Buttermilk Roast Chicken

My oldest son is in a food phase. When he was little he was very easy to please. So much so that he loved spicy foods and I once caught him eating a whole jalapeno out of the fridge (and he loved it!). That all changed when he started school last year. Gone was my easy going child, replaced by a child that whined and complained about literally everything I made. Well, with one exception cookies. Since cookies all the time aren't so great, it has been a struggle figuring out what he will and won't eat. Luckily I have learned that his wants fall into three categories: chicken, pork and shrimp. If a meal has one of those meats clearly viable he will eat it. However, always to be one to keep mommy on her toes I learned last week that if you put a green cilantro sauce (which was delicious) on top of the roasted chicken he will complain the whole meal and refuse to eat his serving. Dinner time has turned into a stare down between the two of use. I will give the kid that he still asks to be excused, so at least his great manners haven't been completely eroded by his peers. So if you have noticed a lot of chicken, pork and shrimp on my blog lately you now know the culprit. Last month I tried a new recipe for Buttermilk Roast Chicken from Everyday Food, which looked simple and perfect for my very vocal six-year-old.

This recipe has 6 ingredients. It takes 35 minutes of total time, 10 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I have horrible luck finding fresh herbs in my area and had to go to two separate stores to find fresh dill. I really wish that the neighborhood animals wouldn't destroy any outdoor herb garden I have ever tried to start. My indoor cats have eaten every attempt at growing them indoors also, so it seems to be a trend. I let my chicken sit in the fridge 24 hours before cooking. I like a long marinade time on my meats, I think the flavor lends better that way. Make sure to pat the chicken fully before placing it in the oven to roast. If you miss this important step your chicken will not have that great crispy skin that most people love, but instead be soggy and unappetizing. I found that I had to cook my thighs a little longer than the 25 minutes suggested by the recipe in order to be at the appropriate temp. If you don't have a great thermometer to temp meat, put it on your Christmas list. I had to force myself to spend a hundred dollars on the one that I have and it was the best kitchen gadget I have bought in a long time. It makes making any type of meat so much easier and prevents over-cooking, which can have a great deal of impact on the taste of your food. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If you are looking for a simple roasted chicken dish with a great herb flavor this recipe is perfect. It isn't fancy, it's just an easy weekday meal. Everyone in my family (including my picky son) enjoyed this recipe. My husband isn't a fan of chicken skin (I on the other hand love it!), so he picked his skin off and thought that the meat was very moist from the marinade. This recipe would be great with rice or couscous infused with olive oil and fresh dill. The dill in the rice and the chicken would work well together. Green beans with butter and dill would be another delicious option.

For the recipe go to Buttermilk Roasted Chicken. 

Slow-Cooker Garlic Chicken

As many of you know I love my slow-cooker. I literally use it at least once  a week. It wasn't always that way though. Growing-up I don't remember if my mother even owned a crock-pot. If she did I don't remember it being used. At all. I do remember the very scary old pressure cooker that she used at least once a week. The pressure gauge was the scariest thing and my mom made it worse by scaring me to death if I ever went near it. I was determined that it was going to fly off and attack me. I'm surprised that I don't still have nightmares about that kitchen tool. Luckily last year my mother-in-law was nice enough to give me a brand new pressure cooker/canner. My mother-in-law much like my mother loves her pressure cooker. She is always calling me and telling me about the meals she is making with it. One of my favorite dishes that she makes is a pork and chicken pasta sauce that is absolutely delicious. The meat literally falls off the bone. So last summer I learned to use the pressure canner and cooker and realized that it won't actually try to kill me in my kitchen. I still prefer my slow-cooker though and use it throughout the year. Last week I tried a new recipe for Slow-Cooker Garlic Chicken from Everyday Food Magazine, which looked simple and flavorful.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes a total of 7 1/2 hours (on low), 25 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. Instead of a whole chicken I chose to use half thighs and half drumsticks. I really hate cutting-up whole chickens and avoid it when possible. Since I don't eat gluten I substituted brown rice flour for the all-purpose flour used in the recipe. My chicken took a lot longer than the four minutes per side to brown suggested by the recipe. I would estimate it took a total of 15 minutes. At the end of the browning time I de-glazed the pan with the white wine, which helped to scrape up the leftover brown bits adding to the flavor of the dish. Finally, instead of serving the chicken over couscous I served it over brown rice. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My husband and two boys really loved this recipe. The chicken turned out very tender and the garlic was delicious. I ended up adding cornstarch to finish thickening the sauce, which worked well poured over the rice. I always cook on low in my slow-cooker since it's easier to start a dish in the morning when my house is calmer. A very easy slow-cooker recipe that made enough for multiple meals.

For the recipe go to Slow-Cooker Garlic Chicken.

Lamb, Potato and Leek Stew

This is my favorite time of the year. The weather gets cooler, the leaves start to turn beautiful colors and stews and chili start filling my kitchen with delicious smells. I love stew. There is something so comforting and warming about a great stew. It can transform a bad day into something bearable. I use my crockpot extensively during the cooler months, but there are some stews which just taste and smell better when done on the stove. There are few things better than the smell of stew on the stove. It's very warm and inviting. My favorite meat to make stew with is lamb. When cooked correctly, lamb is a great meat in a variety of recipes. Recently I tried a new recipe for Lamb, Potato and Leek Stew from Everyday Food, which looked easy and perfect for the cooler weather to come.

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes a total of 1 1/2 hours, 15 minutes of which is prep and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients and made no ingredient modifications. I chose not to top the stew with parsley. The parsley at my local store was mediocre, and my kids pretty much hate it, so I chose to leave it out. Make sure to adequately salt the stew. Without adequate salting the stew will lack flavor and be bland. After salting the flavor was perfect. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love stew made with lamb and this recipe was great comfort food. The lamb was tender without being over cooked. If your looking for a stew with a variety of spices, this isn't the recipe your looking for. The flavor of the stew comes from the lamb, which is delicious if cooked correctly, After salting this stew was perfect comfort food and even my two boys enjoyed it.

For the recipe go to Lamb, Potato and Leek Stew.

Spicy Turkey Thighs and Bacon Stir-Fry

This was a nice weekend. My family and I spent the Saturday morning at Chili Fest and then went over to our local small farmer's market and I bought a half gallon of grass-fed organic milk that my kids absolutely love. I love relaxing weekends in the last summer/early fall. If I was to pick my favorite time of the year it would without a doubt be fall. The temps are cooler and there are tons of local events that my family and I love going to. This is also the season when I begin to change my menu plans around. Out go the salads and burgers from the summer and in come the soups, stews and chili. One of my favorite dishes that I make frequently in the warmer months is stir-fry. My two boys love stir-fry and enjoy helping me prep all the vegetables. Last week I tried a new recipe for Spicy Turkey Thighs and Bacon Stir-Fry from Everyday Food, which promised 30 minutes of total time and to be inexpensive on my food budget.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I did end up having to go to two separate stores to find all the ingredients. Luckily the grocery store in the suburbs has a large ethnic foods section and they had the sambal pelek so I didn't have to make any ingredient substitution. I did chose to serve the dish over brown rice. I have stopped using white rice and my boys actually have learned to love brown rice, so as I always do I substituted. Additionally, I used honey instead of light-brown sugar. Most importantly I am never able to find turkey thighs in my area, so I substituted turkey breast cutlets. My turkey took longer than the recipe suggested to fully cook, in total I would approximate it took 15 minutes. This might have been due to the fact that I cut my turkey a little thicker than the recipe probably would suggest. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was worried that this dish might be a little too spicy for my two boys, but they loved it. I really liked the chili sauce. Previously I had never tried that particular type of chili sauce and both my husband and I really enjoyed it. Of course my family loves any dish with bacon and it was interesting making a stir-fry in which it was a main ingredient. I love that this recipe goes together quickly and the prep work is very easy. Overall a quick and inexpensive weekday dinner option.

For the recipe go to Spicy Turkey Thighs with Bacon Stir-Fry.

Sticky Orange-Glazed Chicken Thighs

This has been a long past couple of weeks. I have been horrible about keeping up with my blog and as some of you may have noticed I haven't posted in the last couple of days. My two boys are at each others throats constantly and my attempts to stop eating sweets has been driving me slightly crazy. My sweet tooth seems to always be on overdrive, which has me irritable and cranky. Luckily the longer I have been reducing my sugar intake the better I feel and the easier it has been. So I hope by next week I will feel a lot better. My motivation for making dinner has also been non-existent, so I have been trying to find quick and easy meal solutions. Last week I tried a new recipe for Sticky Orange-Glazed Chicken Thighs from Everyday Food, which looked very simple and full of orange flavor.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes an hour of total time and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and made no ingredient modifications. The broiler on my oven has been broken for years, so I made a major modification to the recipe. I used the broiler on my toaster oven and broiled the chicken in batches. I brushed the sauce on both sides of the chicken before broiling and served the sauce on the side at the table. Without the sauce the chicken is just run-of-the-mill roasted chicken, the sauce is the real star. I made sure to highlight it on the plate and when serving. Turning the chicken half way through the baking time really does help keep the chicken crispy. I would suggest placing the chicken top side down and then flipping halfway through. This way the top will stay crispy at the end. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My family loves anything with orange and this recipe was no exception. The chicken was sticky and perfectly roasted. Serving the sauce on the side was perfect since the sauce was so delicious. My two boys were the most impressed with this chicken. They loved the sauce and ate two pieces of chicken all by themselves. The sauce would also be delicious on pork or turkey. It really is versatile. I would definitely make this recipe again.

For the recipe go to Sticky Orange-Glazed Chicken Thighs.

Buttermilk-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits with Honey Butter

I have a soft spot for honey. As far back as I can remember I have loved honey. Not the store bought generic variety, but local delicious pure honey. It is great in so many ways, on biscuits, in baking or in tea. In the last six months I have been using less white granulated sugar and trying to use more natural sweeteners like honey. One of my favorite foods growing up was honey and peanut butter sandwiches. The combination is delicious and my two kids love it almost as much as I do. As I have written about previously, biscuits are a big deal around here and they are made frequently for breakfast. Before giving up gluten I made them at least a couple of times a month. Biscuits are very versatile and can be great with breakfast or dinner. Last month I made a recipe for Buttermilk-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits with Honey Butter from the December issue of Everyday Food magazine, which looked quick and very simple.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 10 servings. All of the ingredients are basic and I had no problems finding any of them at my local grocery store, so I made no modifications. I did use organic butter and buttermilk. I try to buy organic for chicken and dairy. The dough will be very sticky, do not overwork it or the biscuits will end up tough and will not rise properly. Make sure to use parchment paper to bake the biscuits. It really does work better for baking, I highly recommend it. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I made these biscuits before I gave up gluten. One of the things that I miss the most about not eating wheat is easy biscuits. This recipe is very easy to make and the honey butter is delicious. The honey butter could easily be used on other things such as sweet potatoes, bread or other baked goods. I could see the butter being absolutely yummy on cornbread. I made a great gluten free cornbread recipe last week that would work with the honey butter. Overall, this is a very easy biscuit recipe that takes little time to make and was very popular in my household.

For the recipe go to Buttermilk-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits with Honey Butter.

Hot Rice Cereal with Nuts and Raisins

As I have previously posted the last couple of months I have been working on my breakfast routine. Before making these changes I was horrible about eating breakfast. I would grab for a cookie or leftover piece of cake and my cup of coffee and not eat anything healthy until well into the afternoon. I was feeling tired all the time and my stomach was always upset. So slowly in the last couple of months I have been making changes. I have always been great about cooking from scratch and eating healthy. However, I also love to bake and when I am stressed I tend to over bake. I have fought with low potassium and anemia since February and I knew that it was time to start making a serious effort to be as healthy as I can be. So I made a big decision a couple of weeks ago after talking to my doctor and have eliminated gluten from my diet and drastically reduced the amount of cane sugar that I consume. In addition I have started eating balanced breakfasts and lunches and increased my consumption of fruit and vegetables. The results have been pretty dramatic. My stomach cramps that I was getting almost daily are gone and the bloating that my belly seemed to always have is gone. I feel so much better and my kids have stopped endlessly snacking and are actually eating their meals The change in breakfast habits has taken a couple of months to become like second nature to me and it has involved trying a lot of new recipes until I found a few I really love. Last month I tried a new recipe from Everyday Food for Hot Rice Cereal with Nuts and Raisins, which uses brown rice and nuts and looked like a great way to add protein to my morning breakfast routine.

This recipe has 6 ingredients. It takes 3 minutes of total time (plus the time to cook the rice) and makes 4 servings. I did make a few changes. Instead of using the whole milk suggested by the recipe I used vanilla flavored almond milk. I rarely if ever use whole milk. I find the fat and saturated fat too high for my breakfast routine. Flavored almond milk still has the sweetness, but has far less fat than the cow's milk alternative. I also found for the cereal to thicken it took closer to 5-8 minutes, instead of the 3 suggested by the recipe. Finally I used cinnamon to top the cereal, I am not a huge fan of nutmeg outside of baked goods so I chose to leave it out. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love how this recipe is gluten free and has a lot of flavor. I had never thought about making a hot cereal with brown rice and I was very surprised how easy and delicious this recipe was. My two boys were skeptical of this dish at first, but enjoyed it once they ate a few bites. With 9 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber it is a great whole grain option for breakfast and if you prep the brown rice the night before it only takes minutes to prepare in the morning.

For the recipe go to Hot Rice Cereal with Nuts and Raisins.

Everyday Food Spiced Roasted Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in our household, and when I say a lot I mean a lot. My two boys love any type of poultry and will eat all the leftovers of a dish if given the opportunity. I love chicken also, but I tend to get bored with the same roasted chicken recipes, so I try to frequently change my chicken recipes and menu plans. The May issue of Everyday Food magazine had a recipe for Spiced Roasted Chicken, which looked promising for a change from my family's normal roasted chicken routine.

This recipe has 9 ingredients and the prep work takes approximately 10 minutes, with 1 hour and 20 minutes of total cooking time (if using a 4 lb bird). All of the ingredients are basic and I had no problems finding them at my local grocery store. I did have to buy a 7 pound chicken, there were no smaller birds available. Due to the much larger size of my bird, than the 4 pound bird used in the recipe, I had to modify some aspects of the cooking. I started the recipe in a dutch oven as stated in the recipe, but the bird did not crisp up as much as I expected, so I switched to a roasting pan for the last hour of cooking time. Additionally, since I was using a much bigger bird, my total cooking time took an hour and a half longer. I followed everything else in the recipe as stated, with no modifications.

The chicken in this recipe turned out very moist. My two boys enjoyed the chicken immensely and I liked how tender the entire chicken was. The vegetables didn't turn out as well and we didn't eat them. They ended up softer than we prefer, but this probably had a lot to do with the increased cooking time due to bird size. This recipe creates a moist chicken, which if you use a bigger bird like I did, would make enough leftovers for multiple additional meals.

For the recipe go to Everyday Food Spice Roasted Chicken

Everyday Food Rigatoni with Chunky Vegetable Sauce

Pasta is a stable in our house. My boys and I could pretty much be happy eating pasta dishes every night of the week. However, my husband enjoys meat dishes and gets bored with the same vegetarian pasta dishes. I have been trying to incorporate one vegetarian dish a week into my family's diet without the recipes being monotonous.  Recently, Martha Stewart Everyday Food had a recipe for rigatoni with chunky vegetable sauce, which looked quick and delicious.

This is a very easy pasta recipe. The recipe states the total time as 30 minutes, but most of it is waiting for the pasta to cook. The ingredients were easily found at my local grocery store and the prep is minimal. I followed the recipe as stated, with no modifications.

My two boys of course liked this dish, it was pasta after all. I like that this recipe is very easy to prepare on a busy weeknight and takes little prep time. Make sure to adequately salt the pasta water, or the dish will be undersalted. This is a pretty basic recipe, and would work well for picky eaters.

For the recipe go to Everday Food Rigatoni with Chunky Vegetable Sauce.