Love Notes

Notes on a piano and the beating of drums may have had my heart long before my Love ever did but as with all things we find ourselves passionate about, it is in the act of weaving them together that we find we have created something inspiringly new and happiness in turn is sure to follow. I suppose that is why I love making things and even music so very much. The pieces were just that, bits and pieces before working them together, arranging them just so. All of those cared for ideas and materials were brought together to bring that ‘something new’ into being, and that is a beautiful thing and certainly something worth celebrating.

If I were to attempt to put into words what the idea of love means to me, I would have to say the creation of happiness. I can only describe it as the chemistry of some rare pure materials + the act of you creating ‘something out of nothing.’ I recognize that there is no such thing as ‘nothing’ but I cannot help but see the correlation between the idea that the concept of both love and music cannot truly be put into words. Not really, but go find yourself in the company of someone you love or find yourself the perfect music that makes your heart sing and you will know just what I mean. It seems as if only by engaging in their presence can we truly reach the level of understanding with which they work to inspire and help us create a better place in which to, well, create more happiness.

When we think about music that we love, it is with sincere appreciation for the compilation of all of those sounds blended together in perfect harmony with the way we feel in their presence that brings about our most sincere passions. There in is their magic. It makes us dream, it helps us appreciate our surroundings, and live in a world where we don’t just provide the minimum, we aren’t just there in our raw state of being, but instead we are actively choosing to add just a little more. We have a rare and golden opportunity to add a bit of love, or happiness, or whatever you want to call it, and actively engage in bringing about a little extra cheer to the world. That’s what I want for the holiday, for every day even, for my whole life.

The exchange and creation of love is not with words but through our intent, through dreaming up a little magic and then bringing it into reality. Drop the old, discard the fake, and what do you have left over? That is where your heart is, that is what the essence of Love seems to be. How we act out these expressions, whether it’s by way of music, art, or even something as simple as a smile or a kiss, that is all our own, but in sharing we have the pleasure of demonstrating to those we love just how special they are to us. And so, in honor of that I wish you all happiness.

Happy Valentine’s Day ;)

Lindsay 

Rainy Day Projects

Happy Saturday. I seem to have quite the collection of newly made projects so I figured I would share some photos and chat a little about what I've been working on.

First up…

Baby Space Travel Robe Sets: These turned out so cute! I currently have 2 sets in stock in a 6- 9 month size + 2 sets in a 12 month size and I will be listing more to come. If you would like one in a different size feel free to message me over on etsy and I will be happy to whip a set up for you. Both the natural colored tunic and the outer dark brown robe are made with a soft jersey fabric and each comes with a waist tie. These are going to be perfect for Halloween but also for everyday space travel, retreating from sand storms, or lounging on cloud 9.

12 month size. Each set comes with a tunic and hooded robe.

Price $34

Next->

Dotted Butterfly Pillow Case Set: These are made with a fabulous cotton print of various sized butterflies on a vanilla nutmeg background with a dotted French cotton to match up the sides. Simple, pull-on pillow case style. 

Measurements: 17” width x 26.5” in length

Set of 2/ Price $14

Next->

Fleece Baby Blankets: These are made with a soft fleece fabric on one side and then a top patterned fabric layer knotted on at the corners. This blanket is fabulous in that the fleece is warm, soft and easy to wash. They also make great play mats for the little ones and the patterned fabric panel can be removed easily. This is a great travel blanket and though this particular one is a gift, I will be happy to make more if anyone is interested. The price will be around $18 each and offered in a variety of fabric prints and fleece colors. You can never have too many blankets for those messy little munchkins. You can pick the colors/ prints desired J

Next->

Dinosaur Dress: Not impressed. This was a test of a pattern and maybe I rushed it a bit to see how that front laid out but I do not like it. I need to have top stitched the front down before adding the back on, and I need to extend the neckline up a bit and then cut back before sewing the lining in. I also do not like the gather at the sides of the upper bodice. I was going to add a yellow belt to go with, but in the likely event that I scrap this, I didn’t bother. 

This is the pattern I used...

In fairness to the pattern, I feel as though I botched it and should try it again . They don't all turn out perfect...

Next->

Vintage Embroidered Pillow Case Slip Cover: This is a cute one and though I am not listing it online for sale, it did turn out really quite shabby chic/ cottage-like. It definitely needed some love, that’s for sure. I found it at some sale or other and I promised myself I would fix it up at some point soon, I finally got around to it. I like the color and though it’s perfect for a spare bedroom or an old rocking chair or something, this particular cover has a few too many age spots to sell. The embroidered panel has information handwritten on it however and I did not cut it off, it is sewn into the inseam on the zipper inside. It says No. 192 P-Buttercups Design Made by Carlson Currier Co. 

I had to ask myself what it is exactly that I liked so much about it. For starters, the colors and size are perfect. The natural, aged color of the linen is perfect, the size and colors used for the hand embroidered portion were pretty and I really liked the size. The insert pillow used for the photos was 16” x 18” and the slip cover was 16.5” x 18” so it worked. I also liked the way the metallic zipper went well with the rest of the design. This was made with rounded corners. I have more of these zippers and would definitely make more pillow covers, though I cannot promise that my embroidery will be as lovely as the original work shown here. The base fabric should be a linen, it will wear nicely with time.

Next->

Baby Kimono + Diaper Cover Sets: Two more are finished and ready to go. Both sets are made with a dark green jersey fabric for any of those little forest nymphs out there. The cutest green, gold, black, purples and blues highlight the trim and you will find the tabs on the diaper cover have Velcro for closure. I really liked how these turned out and this is the first time I have made these in this color.

The first set is a size 12 month- 

And the second set is a size 9 month.

Price $35/ Kimono Robe + Diaper Cover set

Next->

Cropped Circles Pillow Case Set: This set of two pillow cases is fabulous and made with a vibrant circle print canvas. The prints will brighten any space and will work well on the bed or even in the living room. Pillow inserts not included though I did use bed pillows as inserts so you will find a large sized pillow will fit well. Zipper for closure on the shorter side of each case. If you need inserts to match let me know and I can include them with your purchase however you may find picking up your own inserts to be more economical as you will be charged additional shipping to compensate for the bulk weight.

Measurements: 17" width  (43.2 cm) x 27.5" length (69.9 cm), zipper on shorter side for closure. Machine washable, low heat for drying. Price $22/ set of two

More photos @ www.Craftzies.etsy.com

More projects to come. Until then have a great weekend!

Lindsay ;)

Gluten Free Goodies!

Happy Valentine’s Day (almost) my little cupids and crafters! I thought it might be fun to put together a little treat themed post to inspire your sweeter side. This post was inspired by my desire for cookies as they go so well with a cup of tea in the colder months (or the warmer months depending on your current season ;) and I know there are a lot of you out there that don’t eat gluten so if any of you have the ‘missing gluten blues’ you are in good company.

When it comes to the sweet treats you will find macaroons, meringues and a lot of other cookies are easy to make and don’t require regular flour.  There are also a number of gluten free cake and cookie mixes on the market as well. I know this is a terrible time to offer recipes for such things when we’re all still in our ‘New Year’s healthy’ mindset but what can I say, I’m a firm believer that alcohol and sugar, in moderation of course, are good for the human body. You can argue with me on this over a glass of wine and/or a plate of cookies, but I will win. I promise you that.

And on that note, here’s to the cookies and cakes, muffins and other sweets because they bring us cheer, and well, a girl can’t be perfect on her New Year’s resolution diet all the time! Besides, my sweetie has already confirmed that if you are consuming calories specifically for a blog post then those calories don’t count. So, I’m safe at least ;) If you upload photos of the treats you’ve made then it would stand to reason that those calories won’t count either. I don’t know this for sure, but it makes sense to me ;)

Happy baking and for any of you out there that are feeling down about a gluten free diet for 2013, keep your chin up! Gluten free cooking is super easy and the food is so good those little gluten eaters out there are sure to want your gluten free foods so go pre-heat that oven & get baking, we have some cooking magic to stir up!

Enjoy,

Lindsay ;)

Recipes / Ideas for Gluten Free Goodies

Below you will find the original links to recipes I have tried, really like, and use regularly. You will also find variations on those original recipes to get your baked goods gluten free. Just a quick note in regards to my comments below-I picked up a small coffee grinder and use it to grind up ingredients such as whole fennel, gluten free oats and things of that nature in my baking. Along with almond flour, I really like the texture oats give to baked goods so below you will see where I have adding ‘ground gf oats’ and that is what I mean by that, though you may have some luck finding ground oat flour. I just purchase the oats whole so I can use them in things like Oatmeal Cookies, oatmeal for breakfast or foods of that nature and then just grind down what I need for my baking (p.s. do not try and grind your own brown rice in a coffee grinder, it burns the motor out :p). If you have a small mortar and pestle you can grind them that way or you can replace the ground gf oats with another flour in its place. I do not use my regular coffee grinder to grind these ingredients. I have heard cooks say you can just grind a little rice and it cleans out the grinder but I know my coffee won’t taste like fennel and my pizza won’t taste like coffee if I just go with a separate grinder for the baking. The choice is yours but I did want to mention it J

Macaroons: link: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/First-Place-Coconut-Macaroons

Comments: Follow the directions in the link above with the exceptions being that you replace the flour with 2 tbs. almond flour and 1 tsp. brown rice flour-you can substitute the flours for other flours such as a gluten free flour mix currently sold at most stores and the recipe is perfect.

Zucchini Almond Muffins: Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/zucchini-bread-recipe/index.html

Comments: I like this recipe and I have found it is also easy to modify in a number of ways. I of course substitute the flour for a gluten free flour mix, and I do so by mixing together 1.5 cups of almond flour, 1 cup of brown rice flour, ½ cup of ground gf oats, and if more flour is required, I will add a little more of one of these original flours such as brown rice flour. If you do not have brown rice flour you can substitute it for white rice flour I also will, depending on what ingredients I have available, substitute the 1 cup of oil for ½ cup of oil and ½ cup of apple sauce. I don’t like to add too much oil or butter to the mix and I have made it each way and it turns out better with less than the called for amount in my opinion.

You can also go with ½ a stick of softened butter (almost fully melted), ¼ cup of apple sauce and ¼ cup of milk or cream to balance the wet/ dry ratio of the recipe. These can easily be cooked as regular sized muffins or mini muffins and they taste great with a light glaze dribbled over the top, cream cheese frosting added, a crumb topping, a crumb topping and then a light glaze dribbled over the top, or no topping at all even. I have made this recipe all of those ways and it always turns out well. The trick to baking muffins is not to over stir the batter.

Gluten free cooking does in some cases dry a baked good out so I like to use a lot of almond flour for my sweet baked goods especially as it makes them light weight and sweeter. I like to go a tad more on the wet side with muffin mix to balance the gf flours that will use up the fluids in the mix while cooking. Modify the cooking time according to what sized muffin pan you are using and do keep in mind that gluten free muffins can easily turn out either too dry or too mushy, especially when using a squash filling such as zucchini or pumpkin. In order to counteract this, substituting the yoke on one last egg may help this, and going with smaller muffin pans or about 2 tbs. less per muffin per pan to help the middle of the muffins cooks more fully. If you find your muffins need a little more moisture, ¼ cup water and or apple sauce should help.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: I think everyone knows this recipe but I will give it to you anyway just in case. We all need a good chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Ingredients: 2.5 cups gluten free flour mix (consisting of some or all of these gf flours-almond flour, gf flour baking mix, ground gf oats, white or brown rice flour), 2 eggs, 1.5 cups brown sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 stick of softened butter, a dash of cinnamon, 1 tsp. baking powder, chocolate chips, *optional-1 cup chopped walnuts.

Instructions: Mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl soften the butter if needed and add the brown sugar and stir until well mixed. Add the vanilla and the eggs and mix. Slowly add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir. Add the chocolate chips and, if desired, chopped walnuts. Chill the dough for 1 hour, pre-heat oven to 350 and butter the baking dish. Cook for 12 minutes and check to see if finished. If more time is needed then keep a close eye, they probably won’t require more than a few additional minutes before they are finished. Remove from the oven, let cool.

Cake Pops: Woot! I happen to have a new cake pop pan and since I am currently working on a number of recipes for gluten free party treats right now, making these was the perfect excuse! I have tried and would recommend a gluten free cake mix, not bad at all, and the cake pops turned out so good! You can also grab a cake mix recipe online quite easily as well if you do not want to go with a store bought mix. I used a cake pop pan and followed the instructions that came with except that it did say to go with a cooking spray and I didn’t have any on hand so I just greased the top and bottom of the pan with butter and was really careful to have it greased as evenly as possible. If you have cooking spray, it is probably preferable.

I picked up the sticks and little baggies as I knew I was going to want to wrap these up and share them. I also managed to find cookies and cream flavored sprinkles! I know what you’re thinking, these totally have to have gluten in them right? No! I read the ingredients and unless they’re wrong, it says they used corn flour for the flour ingredients so I did buy them and sprinkle cookies and cream bits on top of my newly frosted cake pops and they are fantastic! *note on the pan style-If you do not have a pan for these then you can use a mini muffin pan, and then while the little muffins are still cooling drop them out onto a baking sheet and try rolling them out a little bit so they are round in shape. If you need to dust the pan with a powdered sugar it may help if the muffins seem like they’re going to stick to the pan.

The instructions from my cake pop pan said the best way to get the sticks to stay inside the cake pop is to melt chocolate wafers (I usually use chocolate chips if I have those on hand/ only melt a little bit of the chocolate at a time or it starts to get gunky as it cools), dunk the end of the stick into the hot chocolate and then into the cake pop itself. Let cool. Then melt about 1/3 of the container of the frosting in the microwave just a little-melt and check/ stir the frosting and do this until it is not super thin but slightly melted. Take a cake pop by the stick and dunk it into the frosting. Turn the cake pop slightly to stop the frosting from dribbling too much and again place on the waxed paper. At this time you can determine if you need to warm the frosting a little more or let cool slightly. You want it so the frosting drips off, adding a nice thin layer of frosting to the cake pop.

Sprinkle the cake pops with the sprinkles once they have been frosted. I have found it is helpful to frost a few at a time and then put the bowl of frosting aside and then pick each frosted cake pop up with a spoon to hold up the bottom of each, sprinkle, and then lay each in a shallow bed of the sprinkles. That way you get the sprinkles and the bottom of each cake pop shows sprinkles, not an area where frosting is missing. I like my cake pops to be yummy and look good too, what can I say?! ;) I found those cookies and cream sprinkles by Wilton, the candy company, they were selling them at Joanns in the baking area of their store if you are searching for your own. You can also add melted chocolate or peanut butter over the tops once the frosting has been added.

 (Gluten Free) Rice Krispy Treats: They just added gluten free rice krispies cereal so all you have to do is substitute the regular cereal with the brown rice type and you’re all set! You’re going to want the gluten free rice krispies cereal for gluten free safety though because the malt in the original cereal contains gluten. The ingredients and directions may very well be on the box but if not then you are going to want 2 cups mini marshmallows, 2 cups of cereal, 4 tbs. butter and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Melt the butter and marshmallows on low heat in a sauce pan. Once mixed and melted add the vanilla and stir. Add the cereal and stir and then put in a buttered baking dish, chill in the fridge at least 20 minutes and you’re all set. Once they have cooled you can also cut them into squares or round balls and put on candy or popsicle sticks, lay out over sheet of wax paper and dribble melted chocolate, sprinkles and any other super yummy extras over them, gift wrap and then you have fabulous little treats for the holidays.

Happy Baking/ Snacking ;)

Snack On!

The Super Bowl weekend is here my friends and I know we all have food on the mind so here are a few snack ideas to help feed the masses and keep it all a bit more healthy in the process.  Well, maybe not entirely healthy, but at least they’re all natural! All of these are gluten free as well so everyone can snack on and enjoy the festivities with ease.

Lindsay ;)

Recipes to snack on…

Stuffed Mushrooms-You are going to love these. They are rather easy to make, they mostly just need time to chill. You can prepare them 24 hrs in advance and then cook them about 20 minutes before the event and they are ready to go.

Ingredients: Mushrooms (16+ large mushrooms), 1 stick of butter, 4 or so stalks of celery-diced small, Black Pepper, ½ c. Parmesan Cheese + a little for dusting , 1 large sweet onion, 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, ½ cup gluten free breadcrumbs (*see how to make your own bread crumbs below).

How To: Quickly wash your mushrooms in cold water or wipe down with a towel. Some people prefer to wipe them down but I really like to give them a cold splash of water and then gently wipe them down a little. Remove the stems and dice the stems up and place in a bowl. Dice your onion, celery and chop any fresh herbs you have to add and put aside. Melt ½ stick of the butter and then quickly dunk each mushroom in the butter. Place each on a cookie sheet or the pan you plan on cooking the mushrooms in later on. Place this tray in the refrigerator to chill at least 20 minutes before stuffing.

Melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan and then add all of the ingredients except for the cheddar cheese. Once the onions and celery have cooked well enough, add the cheddar cheese, stir a few times and then turn the heat off and remove from the stove top to cool slightly.

Once the stuffing has cooled slightly and the mushroom caps have chilled long enough take a large spoon and stuff each mushroom cap with the filling so they are ever so slightly packed. Dust the mushrooms with Parmesan cheese and chill for at least one hour. More time to chill is better but I understand that you’re hungry. 

Making your own Gluten Free Bread Crumbs: This is an easy one and it helps if you have about 2 tbs. dried herbs-your choice but basil, oregano, parsley, those will work nicely. Chives? Any chives in that spice rack? Add a tbs. of those if you have it. Then 2 tbs Parmesan cheese. You can add a tsp. salt. Then if you have any gluten free bread you are going to want to mash up two slices really well. If it’s a little stale it’s even better. If you have some bread that is going stale and you want to use it up somehow, this is a great way and the bread crumbs can be stored in the freezer for a few weeks. 

If you need to get the bread a bit stale in order to really mash it up then toast it first in a toaster or the oven. Is that all mashed up then? Mix all of your ingredients plus 2 tbs. oil and stir in a bowl. Mix that up really well. It should be a little crumbly still. If it’s close you can add a tbs. of gluten free flour or a tsp. corn starch to the mix to help it out. Next pre-heat your oven to 350 and place the mix out on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Cook that mix until it is crispy and a little golden-It will need maybe about 10 minutes, I would probably check in and see how it’s doing after 8 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Once cool place the crumb mix in a bowl and if needed, crunch the mix down or put in a grinder. Your bread crumbs are now ready.

Sweet /Spicy Chicken Sate (with peanut sauce)-This is a fabulous recipe ->  http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipes/r/thaichickensate.htm

Notes: If you are going with a sweeter version as this does turn out pretty spicy, I go with less cayenne powder, less shallots and 2-3 + tbs. additional sugar. For the Peanut Sauce you are going to want ½ c. peanut butter, ¼ c. Housin sauce and ½ c. boiling water. Put the Peanut Butter in a bowl and add the Housin sauce. Stir and slowly add the boiling water until mixed and light. You can add a little more Housin sauce if desired. Ready to serve. 

*Check the ingredients for the sauces for this recipe-you can find gluten free soy and oyster sauces but you do have to check the ingredients on the back to be sure the contents do not contain gluten of any kind.

Chicken & Cheese Taquitos-You are really going to want this recipe so grab the ingredients and let’s get started. For those of you that want to scoff at the idea of using spaghetti sauce, you can just stuff it, literally, with these taquitos, because this recipe is one of my all time favorites! For sauce brands, I have had great success with Newmans and Prego Mushroom. I never seem to be able to make enough to freeze any but you can probably freeze these for about 2 weeks or so. 

Ingredients: ½ c. spaghetti sauce, 1/2 medium sized sweet onion diced small, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. Cayenne powder or other hot spices you may have on hand, oil for cooking (*we’re going to be going with high heat so it is preferable you go with an oil recommended for high heat. If in doubt, use what you have but Butter won’t work, but a coconut oil will), 2-3 cloves of garlic minced (you can get this already chopped up as well), 1/2 c. water, 18+ corn tortilla shells, 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 1 medium sized chicken breast, 2 tbs. brown sugar (*optional + you can use white sugar if you have it). 

*here is a photo of the tortillas when shopping for ingredients.

How To: Take a pan and heat 2 tbs. of oil on medium heat. Cook the chicken, turning over a few times. Once the outside is cooked well enough remove from the heat and put on a plate, put the chicken on it’s side and slice down the middle. Add the chicken back to the pan and finish cooking completely. Grab new utensils from the ones you used to cook the raw chicken and then add the salt, pepper, spaghetti sauce, 1/3 c. water, garlic, onion, sugar, 2 tbs. oil and the seasoning. Once cooked down a bit-about 10 minutes or less, add the rest of the water as desired to achieve the desired consistency for the sauce.  Remove from the pan and put in a bowl or plate to cool slightly. 

Wipe the pan down, wash it if you need to but probably isn’t necessary, and return to the stove. Add 2 tbs. of oil to the pan. Take about 5-6 of your tortilla shells and lightly brush the back side in the oil and put on a plate nearby. Raise the heat to med/ high and take one of the tortillas and put in the pan flat. If the pan is big enough to lay two out flat then add another now. When the tortilla starts to bubble slightly then you are going to want to add a small amount of the filling to the shell, add a little bit of cheese, and slowly roll the tortilla up tight. 

If you are having a hard time with this rolling part then you can simply fold the tortilla in half and cook it a bit more. Once rolled or folded up, let cook a bit more to crisp up a little while starting your next tortilla. I find a spatula and a fork work well for rolling the tortillas. You need very little of the filling for these and I would say a good rule is about 2 tbs. of filling laid out in a straight line about 3/4" in from the end of one side and then rolled up is good, and then no more than 4 tbs of filling max if you are planning on folding the taquitos in half.

Once you have made about 5-6 you will want to add another 2 tbs. of oil, dash the next set of 5-6 tortillas in oil from the pan, and then start the process all over again with your next set of tortillas. Once finished cooking, you can remove it from the heat, let cool a few minutes and serve or you can save for later and heat them up in the oven. If your tortilla starts to break as you roll or fold it then your heat is not high enough. Raise the heat just a tiny bit more and wait just a little bit, closely keeping an eye of course, and then try again. You will notice how that once crispy tortilla is starting to soften up quite nicely.

Lemon Cilantro Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients: 1/4 c. minced sweet onion, 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce, 3 tbs. Italian Dressing, 2 tbs. Olive oil, 3 tbs minced cilantro, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1 minced clove of garlic, 1/2 c. minced green pepper, juice from half of a medium sized lemon. Mix all of the ingredients together and it is ready to serve. You can add diced tomatoes well. I am not a fan but if you like them go for it.

Chicken Enchiladas-These are perfect for dinner or for when guests show up and this is a pretty quick recipe. I love this recipe and I'm betting you will too ;)

(eek! sorry this photo is so dark. I will get a better picture soon, this is what happens when you're up late cooking ;)

Ingredients: 1/2 lg sweet onion, diced. 2 cloves of garlic, 14-16 oz. enchilada sauce, 1 lg. chicken breasts, 2 tbs. oil, 1 c. Cheddar Cheese, 1 green pepper chopped, 8-12 Corn Tortilla Shells, 1 tbs. corn starch (gf flour works ok as a backup).

How To: Cook the chicken in 2 tbs oil. Cut up the chicken small and add the enchilada sauce. pepper and onions, herbs and garlic.  Sprinkle the corn starch over the sauce and stir. Let the sauce cook for a few more minutes. Once cooked down to a nice thick sauce-like consistency then take your tortilla shells and place them in the oven to heat up a little bit. You want it so they will fold in half without breaking or roll up well (your choice). Once softer and more flexible, add a bit of the mix to the tortilla shells, add a little cheese on top and fold or roll up the shell. Place in a pan and once the pan is filled up with the enchiladas take any extra sauce mix and add it to the top of the enchiladas. Add cheese to the top and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat when the cheese starts to golden. This may require more time to cook. Patience grasshopper, cooking magic is taking place...

Mac & Cheese (with Chicken)-This is comfort food at its finest! I love recipes like this when I just want to curl up and hybernate. *A lot of Mac & Cheese recipes call for a flagship cheese. I could not find this at the store but when I asked the woman at the cheese counter she said it means "a high quality Irish cheddar." I just wanted to add that before you go grocery shopping ;) 

Ingredients: 1 box or 2 cups gluten free noodles, 4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese shredded fine (optional for uber cheesiness/ *This would be the flagship cheese mentioned above), 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 2 tsp. corn starch (can supplement with a gluten free flour), 2 chicken breasts, salt, oil, ¼ stick of butter, ¼ c. gluten free bread crumbs (see above for recipe), dried herbs of your choice, ¼ c. Parmesan cheese, black pepper. 

How To: Cook the chicken breasts on medium heat in 2 tbs. oil until mostly cooked. Slice the chicken breasts up smaller, continue to fully cook. Once finished remove from the heat and let cool. Preheat the oven to 350. Boil the noodles in a large pan until done, strain, put into a large bowl, add a tbs. of butter and stir. Add a ¼ c. milk and stir. Dice the butter and add to the noodles. 

In a separate bowl add all the rest of the ingredients except the chicken and Parmesan cheese. Add the dry mix to the noodle combination as well as the chicken and stir. Butter a baking pan and add the contents to the pan, spreading out evenly. Add the Parmesan cheese to the top, dash with salt and pepper and bake for at least 15 minutes, may need longer to crisp up on the top depending on the cheese or noodles used but it will be super yummy when ready to serve. If you want more cheesiness add more cheese ;)

Chili-This one is always great and the perfect food to feed all the visitors on game day ->

Ingredients: 2 lbs. Ground Beef, 2 large Sweet Onions diced, 3 cloves of Garlic diced, 1 tsp Cayenne powder, 1 tsp Black Pepper, 1/3 Brown Sugar, 12 oz. can of Tomato Sauce, 12 oz. can of Diced Tomatoes (2 two medium sized fresh Tomatoes, dried herbs such as Basil-Oregano-Cilantro (which is also referred to as Coriander), 1 tsp. Cumin, 1 tbs. Cocoa Powder, 1 tsp. salt, 4-15 oz. cans of Kidney Beans, Chili Peppers as desired, diced., 2 tbs oil.

How To: Cook the meat, tomatoes, garlic, spices, and onions in 2 tbs. oil. While cooking the meat open the cans of kidney beans and rinse them off in a strainer with cold water. Put the strainer on a plate to catch the excess water and place in a large sauce pan. Once the meat has fully cooked add to the saucepan that has the kidney beans. Add the tomato sauce and the cocoa and cook on low heat for 45 minutes.

Sliders-Need I say more? These little cheeseburgers will make your day. (nom nom nom).

Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef, spices for taste, slice of cheddar cheese, gluten free rolls, onions sliced, condiments.

How To: Mix the spices and meat together and press into small patties. Cook until done, add cheese to the tops and when the cheese has fully melted, remove from the pan and put on the buns.

Happy Cooking + Happy Game Day!