Author: stlmaryland

Gluten Free Graham Crackers

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Gluten Free Graham Crackers1

Graham crackers are something that all adults and kids alike love. Yet, they are not that easy to find in a gluten free version at your grocery stores. And yet there are many recipes that call for Graham Crackers such as S’mores and Cheesecakes!

Nevertheless, I decided it was about time to give homemade gluten free graham crackers a whirl.  And I will tell you, I’m so glad I did!  They came out really great! I made mine a little on the thicker side and they were still great.

Now I am kicking myself for waiting so long to make these easy crackers.

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Crockpot Split Pea Soup with pork

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I have always loved split pea soup but rarely ever make it. And since my husband is allergic to msg and sodium nitrates we can’t eat ham. Regardless, for this recipe I used boneless pork chops instead and it came out wonderful!

Split Pea soup is a wonderfully hearty soup and very easy to make when using a crockpot.

Split Pea Soup | Small Town Living in Nevada

Crockpot Split Pea Soup with pork 

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups split peas
  • 4 cups Turkey or Chicken Bone Broth
  • 6 cups water
  • 1/2 cup carrots, diced
  • 4 celery stocks, diced
  • 1/4 cup dried onions or one small onion, diced
  • Cracked Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 lb thin cut boneless pork chops
  • Sour Cream (Optional)

Place the pork chops on bottom of the crockpot. Next arrange the split peas in the crockpot in an even layer. Add the carrots, celery, and onion over the split peas.

Pour the broth and water into the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or until peas are soft. Place in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and ENJOY!

Gluten Free Fried Shrimp with a Garlicky Sweet Chili Sauce

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I have a love affair with shrimp. It is my favorite seafood, yet I don’t get to eat it as much as I would love. Take me to a buffet and I am hoarding the peel and eat shrimp, LOL.

I wanted to do something different and decided to make fried shrimp with a Sweet Chili Sauce, but added garlic powder to the sauce originally by accident. Needless to say, the sauce came out really tasty even though I didn’t plan adding the garlic in the first place.

Breaded Shrimp with Sauce

Gluten Free Fried Shrimp with a Garlicky Sweet Chili Sauce

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup vegetable oil, or more, as needed
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup gluten free flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 large egg
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup gluten free bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Garlicky Sweet Chili SauceTo make the sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey, garlic powder and rice vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, gluten free flour, cornstarch, egg. In another large bowl, combine gluten free breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
  4. Working one shrimp at a time, dip shrimp into buttermilk/flour mixture, then dredge shrimp through the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to coat.
  5. Working in batches, add shrimp to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  6. Serve immediately, drizzle with the Garlicky Sweet Chili Sauce.

Adapted from Damn Delicious

Easter Craft: Easter String Egg Garland

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Easter Egg Garland | Small Town Living in Nevada

Here is a fun yet messy Easter craft.

What you need

  • Embroidery Floss
  • Liquid Starch
  • Flour
  • Ribbon / Yarn
  • water balloons
  • needle

First, you need a lot of embroidery floss different pastel colors.

Next, you need to make your glue.  You will need 1/2 a cup of flour and 1 cup Sta-Flo liquid starch.

Now, take a water balloon and blow it up to make it look like an egg.

Now, dip your floss in the starch glue and then wrap the embroidery floss around the balloon, using your fingers to pull off the excess liquid. It shouldn’t be a goopy mess when you are done.

Once the string hardens and is completely dry, take a needle and pop the balloons.

Next string up your eggs with ribbon or yarn and you have an Easter String Egg Garland.

DIY Homemade Decorative Candle Holders

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Many years ago I use to attend the local MOPS with my children. One of the crafts I learned was how to make homemade candle holders.  It is by far the easiest craft I have made – and it is rather affordable to gather your items at the Dollar Tree at that.

And since St Patrick’s is around the corner you can use green spilt peas for decoration inside the candle holders.

DIY Candle Holders | Small Town Living in Nevada

What you need:

  • Different sized glass vases
  • Glass candle stick holders
  • Different sized candles
  • 2-3 bags of split peas
  • E6000 Glue

Place glue around the top edge of the candle stick holder.  Center the base of the vase on the candle stick.  Allow to dry completely before handling. Approximately 24 hours is best.

Once dry, fill the vases with split peas. And place a candle inside. Wallah, you now have a decorative candle holder.

How to make homemade butter

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I was making dinner and realized I was all out of butter. Remembering I had some cream in the fridge I reached for my Food Processor.

Many people seem to think there is a lot of work that goes into making homemade butter. And honestly, I have never tried to churn butter the old fashion way, but I have used my Food Processor in place of many times over.

By using a Food Processor the butter breaks in about 4-5 minutes. And wallah, you have butter — most likely better than the store bought butter.

Homemade butter

Ingredients
  • 4 cups of heavy cream (1 quart)
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt

Place a quart of heavy whipping cream into the food processor.

Whipped Cream Food Processor | Small Town Living in Nevada

Turn on your food processor and let it run. If your cream is on the cool side, it may go through a thick, whipped stage like this (see above). If it does, it just means it will take a bit longer for it to churn.

Homemade Butter | Small Town Living in Nevada

As you process the cream, it will become more liquid. The sound of the cream in the processor will also change so it sounds like sloshing. It means the butter is separating from the buttermilk. Pour the butter through a fine mesh sieve and lightly fold the butter on itself to press out any liquid trapped in the butter. Pour off the excess liquid.

Return the butter to the food processor and add salt to taste. Turn the processor on and give it a whirl to incorporate the butter. Place in a container and store in fridge for up to two weeks if it lasts that long.

Homemade Butter Spreadable | Small Town Living in Nevada Bread and Butter | Small Town Living in Nevada

DIY PVC 5′ x 5′ Banner Stand

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DIY PVC Banner Stand | Small Town Living in Nevada

Instead of buying a pre-made frame or stand, you can make your own banner stand using PVC pipes. It doesn’t really take that long to make and the materials you need are readily available in your local hardware store if not around your house.

Not only did I design my daughter’s Troop Banner, I also made the PVC Banner Stand from PVC lying around in my garage so I really saved my pennies and only had to by the joints to tie all the poles together.

A PVC banner frame is just a basic stand that allows any banner to stand alone. And you can reuse the frame over and over again and if you don’t glue it you can break it down for easier transport.

Since I made a banner that was 4 feet x 2.5 feet I decided I needed to make a 5 foot x 5 foot banner stand to hold it.

DIY PVC 5′ x 5′ Banner Stand

Things you will need:

  • Measuring Tape
  • Sharpie Marker
  • 21-feet 1-inch PVC Pipe
  • Hacksaw
  • 6-1″ slip-in T connectors (without threads)
  • 2-1″ slip-in 90º elbow joints (without threads)

Directions:

Cut 3 5-feet long PVC pipes. Next cut 12 6-inch pipes.

Assemble feet first, followed by attaching the side poles.

To make the foot you will need three T connectors and six 6″PVC pipes. Next plug all 6″ PVC pipes into each T connector like you see in the photograph. Repeat.

Next place a 5-foot PVC Pole into the open middle T connector. Repeat for opposite side.

Top the pole with a slip-in 90º elbow joint on both poles. Connect with a 5-foot PVC Pole.

Reminders: If the PVC banner frame is to be displayed outdoors or in a windy location, make sure to place bricks or other heavy objects at the base of the stand to keep the frame in place.

How to Make Water Kefir Soda

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Water Kefir | Small Town Living in Nevada

Sparkling Apple Water Kefir

I love carbonation. It is a weakness of mine. I would rather drink Club Soda or Sparkling Water over regular water any day. I think I actually crave the carbonation if that even makes sense.

And because of that I LOVE Water Kefir! It is a wonderful fermented probiotic drink that not only do I really enjoy but my entire family really enjoys drinking as well. And it is naturally carbonated so I don’t feel guilty drinking it!

We flavor our Water Kefir with a variety of different juices from Grape Juice to Pineapple to even Apple juice. We basically drink it as a healthy alternative to soda, especially since I don’t allowed my kids to drink soda.

My husband is the person behind the Water Kefir. If it weren’t for his dedication we probably wouldn’t have the abundance of it in my home like we do. For that we are truly grateful for all his hard work he puts into it.

Water Kefir is….

  • Dairy free
  • Can be made from sugar water, fruit juice or even coconut milk
  • Easy to flavor in unlimited ways

In order to get started you need to use water that is free of chlorine and fluoride because both can kill your Kefir grains.

We prefer to use bottled water, but you can also use filtered water, well water, or even coconut water.

Next you need sugar. There are many choices of sugar to nourish the kefir grains. My husband though uses Brown Sugar and Molasses.

Making water kefir is not an exact science but everyone has a different method and timing that they prefer. It is definitely okay to experiment. When coming in contact with the grains, it is best to use glass, plastic or wooden tools and utensils because some metals can hinder your grains.

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Crockpot Turkey Bone Broth

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I made a Roasted Turkey the other night and as usual I made a Turkey Bone Broth. Since my family has a food sensitivity to chicken I never use chicken broth let alone make chicken for that matter. And of course Turkey broth is a little hard to find at the store in my area.

So I make Turkey Bone Broth every time I Roast a Turkey which is about 3-4 times a year. I then place the broth into jars and stick them in the basket of my deep freezer for later usage for recipes or soups.

Making bone broth is extremely easy if you have a crockpot. I usually take poultry shears to the Turkey bones, but this bird was a large one and I ended up needing a hammer to expose the marrow. So I placed the bones in a  gallon ziploc and whacked the bones a few times. I then threw the bones, whatever meat was attached and some turkey skin into the crockpot. Next I filled the crockpot with water to almost the top and then placed the lid on and cranked it up! The longer you slow cook the broth, the more your turkey flavor will shine through. I wanted 20 hours on the crockpot, but mine only goes to 10 — so after 10 hours I reset the crockpot for another 10 hours for a total of 20 hours or cooking.

Turkey Bone Broth | Small Town Living in Nevada

Turkey Bone Broth

Ingredients

  • Turkey carcass of a 23 lb bird (with some attached meat and skin)
  • 20 cups of water (or until crockpot is almost full)

Break carcass bones open to expose marrow. Then add carcass to crockpot. Fill crockpot with water cover and cook on low for 20 hours. If the level has evaporated too much add more water over the course of the cooking.

Once done. Strain out bones. Can, and freeze for later use.

Turkey Bone Broth | Small Town Living in Nevada

Gluten Free Turkey Chow Mein for Chinese New Year

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2015 Chinese New Year

Today is Chinese New Year.

It is the farewell of the Horse and on to a bit of confusion… they aren’t sure if it is the Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram.  In Mandarin “horned animal” actually covers all three and that is why no-one is quite certain of really which one. And why you will hear all three.

Regardless, the Sheep is the least favorite animal of the Chinese Zodiac. It is considered a weak follower and very docile rather than a strong leader. But it doesn’t matter there will always still be a celebration, nevertheless.

And tonight my family rang in the New Year with me making a Chinese style meal, Turkey Chow Mein.

Turkey Chow Mein

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