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Steak seasoning

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I have been on a kick of making my own rubs lately. I think the reason being is that my husband is so sensitive to MSG and Sodium Nitrates. But many people don’t realize that when they read the ingredients list and see Celery salt or Celery Juice or anything celery for that matter that in HIGH concentrations Celery acts exactly the same as MSG. And that unfortunately is how companies can market their products MSG free.

Anyhow, we learned the hard way and now it is easier to make my own rubs and seasonings than it is to buy packets at the store.

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Gluten Free Shrimp Scampi with a hint of Curry

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I absolutely love shrimp and am always experimenting for dinner time. I also like curry so instead of doing a a Thai Shrimp Curry I decided to give Shrimp Scampi a kick and so glad I did!!

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“Classic” Gluten Free Spritz Cookies

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The day before Christmas vacation started my daughter had a cookie exchange for Girl Scouts that we needed to contribute 4 dozen cookies.

My first thought was Spritz Cookies since you can knock out like 30 cookies a cookie tray with a Cookie Press!! And since they are quite easy to prepare, 7 dozen would be a breeze. And on top of it we even dipped the cookies in Ghirardelli Dark Melting chocolate to make the cookies yummier and prettier when presented.

These cookies are delicate and crisp with a rich, buttery flavor that will keep you coming back for just one more… and then another, and then another…. LOL!

Classic Spritz Cookies

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We are going to Disneyland!

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While this isn’t our first time at Disneyland nor is it our first time there eating Gluten Free, I am quite excited to go and be there and see what they have going on for the 60th Anniversary!

My Husband, Kids and I have saved up our birthday and Christmas money to make this trip happen. And for the last 3 trips (over the last 6 years), my parents have joined us at the Happiest Place on Earth!

SO, it is official… WE ARE GOING TO DISNEYLAND in 30 days! Total countdown mode now!!!!!

My son Aden is very excited cause we’ll be in the Happiest Place on Earth for his birthday… Yeah lucky kiddo! 🤗💓

I am thinking I will have to celebrate my son Arik’s birthday as well since his Birthday is only 5 days prior to Aden’s and well we are leaving for our trip 3 days after his birthday. SOOOO, I will have to see what I can do to make it special for Arik as well.

We didn’t plan ever to go on one of our kids birthdays… it just happens to fall on the week Disneyland is deemed to have the least crowds of the year. So we picked that week to avoid waiting in massive lines.

Now mind you the last time we went to Disneyland, we went on Christmas 2013 – THE BUSIEST DAY OF THE YEAR. And will NEVER do that again. Nevertheless, we used Touring Plans (touringplans.com) and the app mapped out our best wait times and stragedies for which rides at what times for us including meal breaks and fastpasses. So the most we waited in lines on the Busiest day was 20 minutes.

Even though we are heading there on a least busy day, I am still gonna use Touring Plans App again cause it was a snap to use and I rather get through the park with ease, especially with three kiddos!

I love everything Disney and wish I could live at the Happiest Place on Earth. I mean I wouldn’t starve there especially since they are up on their Gluten Free awareness and you can go to City Hall and get a listing of where to eat Gluten Free. AND we already have a Character dining reservation at PCH Grill for the night of my son’s birthday and they are making (for an additional fee) a gluten free birthday cake to bring him out after dinner. I can’t wait to see how they present his cake!!! I am just beside myself!

Anyhow, T-minus 30 days.

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Gluten Free Rolo® stuffed Cookies

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My husband came home from work last week saying a customer had given him cookies that were stuffed with Rolo Candy and wanted me to see if I could make them. I said yeah I’ll look in to it.

Anyhow, looks like it is a basic chocolate chip cookie where the chips are replaced with the Rolo candy. Soooooo, the challenge was on!

I took out my best gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe and omitted the chocolate chips and went from there.

Anyhow, the cookies came out soft, chewy and oh so yummy!

Rolo Cookie

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Santa came to my house early!

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Today I hosted a Girl Scout Christmas Party at my house and Santa was invited as well.

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My kids simply had a wonderful time. I feel blessed to have great friends like Kate to thank for it — so Kate, thank you for co-hosting today’s Girl Scout Christmas Party at my house with me and then having a roller skating adventure at the Community Center with us and other families from the Troop!

As I tucked my children in bed, I asked them what the best part of today was and they replied….

My oldest son Aden said, “Roller Skating, Santa and Pizza (Cause Mama I really LOVE Pizza)!!!”

My youngest child Arik said, “Roller Skating and Santa.”

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And finally my oldest Alexandria said, “Roller Skating, Santa and making the Owls.”

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So I can safely say it was a really great day and evening for all of us!!

Snow!

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Well we finally got some snow that decided to stick around… <<sigh>> it has been many years that the snow has been this good here. The ski resorts opened earlier this year and the skiers are quite happy. I on the other hand just love the scenery!

I don’t think the chickens are liking the snow all that much, but they adapt quite nicely once the sun is fully out.

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And my dogs just love the snow… LOVE it! My older dog Molly — doesn’t want to come in the house even if it is 17º F outside. Silly dog!!

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Anyhow, it looks like the white stuff will be sticking around for Christmas.

Gluten Free Peach Rib Sauce

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My youngest son LOVES ribs and is always asking me to make him ribs be it barbecued, baked or even in pasta gravy. Nevertheless, I like to mix things up and try new recipes A LOT. So I wanted to try something sweet and sticky this time around and this Peach Rib Sauce was just the right mix of sweet and just the right amount of sticky!

Luau Rib Sauce

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Sweet & sour cranberry dipping sauce

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Taquitos

Last week I wanted to use up the rest of my turkey leftovers and decided to make homemade gluten free shredded turkey taquitos. And then thought a sweet & sour cranberry dipping sauce would go perfectly with them!

Well the sauce came out better than I had expected… so I know I will be making this again!

Sweet & Sour Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 can of cranberry jelly
2/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 cup of sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Let cool.

 

Adapted from Tasty

Gluten Free Black Bean & Mushroom Patty on Rye

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I would love to call this a burger, but can’t wrap my head around that word when this isn’t a “Hamburger.” And to call it anything other than a “patty” would otherwise be wrong, correct?? A meatless patty at that. Would you call it a veggie burger if it only has maybe two veggies (Onion & Mushrooms) in it? I don’t know… let’s just say I made Black Bean & Mushroom patties for a Meatless Friday and they turned out über delicious!

I have tried countless veggie ‘burgers’ and picked up a few tricks at making these patties and lets say the key to your patty would be if the mixture looks too wet, add more breadcrumbs and/or oats. It is a must if you want to form a patty that doesn’t fall apart when you are eating it. And if for some reason it looks to dry and crumbly add more moisture. You need to play it by ear and go from there.

This recipe will give you 6 rather nice sized patties for your meal. You can either enjoy them on a bun or as I did on toasted Gluten Free Rye Bread. Either way, you are sure to enjoy!

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