Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Cheese ball

I tried making a cheese ball the other day for a gathering. (It's on the left-hand side in the photo; no time to worry about cheese ball pictures during a gathering!)



Turns out, cheese balls are really easy. All you need is cream cheese for a base, then mix in whatever cheese, spices, etc. you want. I thought about adding dried cranberries and walnuts, but figured the first attempt should be basic. And I didn't have cranberries and I didn't want to dig the walnuts out of the freezer. Anyway, the possibilities are endless.

Basic Cheese Ball
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar
1 c. shredded mozarella
1/8 t. garlic salt
1/4 c. parsley leaves, finely chopped

Sprinkled with: paprika, nutmeg

Mix all of the ingredients together using a hand mixer. When it's all good and incorporated, shape it into a ball. Place it on a plate. Sprinkle with paprika and nutmeg to give the outside some color. Serve with GF crackers. Done.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

This Week's Menu

...for your inspiration.


We had dinner with friends a couple of times last week, so several meals got rolled over to this week. Makes for an easy menu this week, especially since Chris requested red beans and rice, and Ashley offered to cook on Thursday.

Mon- Red beans and rice with sausage
Tues- Rotisserie chicken and glazed carrots
Wed- Veggie pizzas
Thurs- Dinner at Ashley's! (it's just a bunch of hocus pocus)
Fri- Chicken pot pie... and candy.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

This Week's Menu


We had very little variation in the menu for a few weeks because I wasn't feeling that great and nothing got made. Chris lived on sandwiches for a while and when I made tuna melts he pointed out that it was still, in fact, a sandwich. The horror!

However, the appetite is coming back and we have food again!
PS. Since I am a woman of childbearing age, any change in appetite is immediately met with an eyebrow raise and a question about the state of my uterus. I have digestive issues, folks. This is a blog born straight out of that particular necessity. Not pregnant, for the record. Also good news, I can drink again, yay!

Anyway, food!

Mon- Crock Pot Pork and mashed potatoes
Tues- Cajun shrimp and rice with roasted veggies
Wed- Rotisserie Chicken (In the crock pot!) with glazed carrots
Thurs- Veggie pizzas
Fri- Chicken Pot Pie


P.S. This Balsamic Mushroom Chicken recipe was on last week's menu and it was fantastic.

Monday, October 6, 2014

This week's menu



Mon- Crock Pot Pork Loin + Mashed Potatoes + Mixed Veggies
(remember the soy sauce should be GF and I'll use wine in place of the chicken broth)
Tues- Burgers + jalapeno poppers + pasta salad. Except I just remembered it's National Night Out so we will prob eat over at a neighbor's.
Wed- Basalmic chicken and mushrooms with carrots
Thurs- Tuna Melts
Fri- Cajun shrimp kabobs + roasted veggies

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Cinnamon Roll Muffins


I made these because Hubs got cinnamon rolls this morning and I didn't want to feel left out, but I didn't feel like going through the process of making actual cinnamon rolls. Or Waffles.

All it takes is a small variation of a basic muffin recipe to get that same taste.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

1 c. GF flour mix
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. milk
2 T. light olive oil (or melted butter)
1/2 t. vanilla

Topping:
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon.
In another bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and oil.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into muffin pans- with muffin liners or without; if not make sure you grease.
Sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes.
Let them cool.
If you're feeling the sugary need, top with cream cheese frosting. (I used store-bought this time but there's a recipe on the Waffles link.)

Makes 6 muffins. Or cupcakes?