"Hurried Mom's" Dinner Recipe from Carla Gade

We're back today with a quick, easy dinner recipe from Author Carla Olson Gade. Actually, she gave us two recipes. And I must admit, as easy as the second recipe is, the first just my style:

Stouffer’s Chicken Alfredo. Stick it in the microwave for 10 minutes and ta da! LOL!
 
Hurried Mom’s Dinner:
1 porkshop, 
2 peeled whole carrots (trim ends off, cut in half, slice down the middle), 
1 medium potato (cut in half). 

Wrap ingredients in aluminum foil and bake until done, about 30 minutes. Serve in foil, no plates needed.

Thanks for sharing those quick, easy ideas with us, Carla. I think every mom on the planet need a few of those back up meals in her arsenal (along with coupons for the local pizza place).

Don't forget we featured an interview with Carla Olson Gade on Monday, and we're giving away a copy of Colonial Courtships to one lucky commenter. If you haven't entered the giveaway yet, be sure to stop by and leave a comment. The contest ends on Saturday, October 27, at midnight.

Unexpected adventure has the four Ingersoll brothers rethinking their futures. But will it thwart their plans for good or bring about four colonial courtships? 

Carving a Future - Connecticut, 1753:  Ship figurehead carver Nathaniel Ingersoll has apprenticed for many years under his Uncle Phineas and hopes to become a master ship carver in his own right. Constance Starling was spirited away from England to the Connecticut coast as an indentured servant, arriving too ill for anyone to accept her. When Nathaniel takes pity on her, he purchases her contract. Has he jeopardized the future he has worked so hard to achieve for the welfare of a weakly servant?

Tips for cooking Stir Fry

Earlier this week, I introduced you to author Ruth Axtell and her newest book, Her Good Name. Ruth is back with us again today, sharing some tips for cooking Stir Fry:

Stir-frying helps me eat a wide range of vegetables. We’ve hosted a few Asian students in the past few years, and I’ve found they generally don’t eat raw vegetables (as in salad—something I eat a lot of). Instead, they eat barely cooked vegetables which are stir-fried. I don’t have any set recipe and use whatever vegetables I have on hand, or are in season. I’ll use cut-up chicken, pork or beef, or just tofu to make it meatless. The secret, I’ve found, is to use a lot of fresh garlic and ginger at the beginning. Sauté this in the oil, remove it before it burns, then stir-fry your meat, if using any; take it out before it becomes too dry; throw in your cut-up vegetables and stir-fry a few minutes. Then put the garlic, ginger and meat back in, sprinkle on soy sauce, salt & pepper to taste, and any red pepper flakes in you want it hot. AND, take it off the burner BEFORE it becomes overcooked. The secret also is to leave the vegetables crisp because they continue cooking a while even when you turn off the stove.

Yummy! I've never thought of using ginger in my stir fry before, but that sounds really good with the fresh garlic. Thanks for the tips, Ruth.

If you haven't dropped by my interview with Ruth Axtell, be sure to do so and enter the giveaway of Her Good Name, which ends Saturday, September 1, at midnight. Now here's a little more about our wonderful guest for the week:

Ruth Axtell knew she wanted to be a writer ever since she wrote her first story—a spy thriller—at the age of twelve. She studied comparative literature at Smith College, spending her junior year at the Sorbonne in Paris. After college, she taught English in the Canary Islands then worked in international development in Miami, Florida, before moving to the Netherlands, where for the next several years, she juggled both writing and raising her three children. In 1994, her second manuscript was a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart competition. In 2002, her sixth manuscript took second place in the Laurie Contest of RWA’s Smoky Mountain chapter. The final judge requested her full manuscript and this became her first published book, Winter Is Past. Since then, Ruth has gone on to publish thirteen historical romances and one novella. Her books have been translated into Dutch, Italian, Polish and Afrikaans . Her second historical, Wild Rose, was chosen by Booklist as a “Top Ten Christian Fiction” selection in 2005. Ruth lives on the coast of Maine where she enjoys gardening, walking, reading romances and gazing at the ocean while plotting her next romance.

Pizza Fest--What's the Weirdest Pizza You've Ever Eaten?

Have any of you tried an unusual pizza lately? Maybe it's just me, but when I think of pizza, it usually involves a thick crust, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. I mean, can a pizza be a pizza without tomato sauce and pepperoni?

Evidently, it can.

Our local playgroup took a trip to see a children's play earlier this week, and we also scheduled a tour of Papa Murphy's Pizzeria. Did you know Papa Murphy's has a Herb Chicken Mediterranean Pizza? This pizza is really more like a flat bread than a pizza. It has olive oil and salt instead of sauce, then mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken, baby spinach leaves, and sun-dried tomatoes.

It's delicious! More than delicious, really. I couldn't believe how good it tasted. Plus I was feeding my kids spinach and tomatoes. What mom doesn't love that? We'll definitely be ordering more of those the next time we find ourselves near a Papa Murphy's. (Sadly, the closest Papa Murphy's is over an hour away). But in the meantime, I'm going to try out a homemade version. I even have it in my mind to try and make our own sun-dried tomatoes from our garden this year.

So now I'm curious about you. Share either the best pizza you've ever eaten, or the weirdest. I'm anxious to see what kind of answers everyone comes up with.

Quick Dinner Recipe from Author Jessica Nelson

Since Author Jessica Nelson is visiting Making Home Work this week, I asked her to share a favorite recipe. She came back with a rather interesting response. Enjoy!

*****

"My favorite recipe involves a tablespoon of peanut butter, a cup of chocolate chips, a spoon, a bowl, and a microwave. *wink*

But…for dinner, fresh broccoli with ranch dressing and cheese quesadillas works well. Put some cheese, any kind, in a soft flour tortilla. Fold it over and melt it in the microwave. Tada, a quesadilla!"

*****

Well, that's what I call a simple dinner recipe. And look at that, Jessica even included dessert! If you haven't stopped by the interview with Jessica Nelson, be sure to do so. She's giving away a copy of her novel, Love on the Range, to one lucky commenter. You have until midnight on Saturday to enter. In the meantime, here's a little more about author Jessica Nelson:

Jessica Nelson, in keeping with her romantic inclinations, married two days after she graduated high school. She believes romance happens every day, and thinks the greatest, most intense romance comes from a God who woos people to himself with passionate tenderness. When Jessica is not chasing her three beautiful, wild little boys around the living room, she can be found staring into space as she plots her next story. Or she might be daydreaming about a raspberry mocha from Starbucks. Or thinking about what kind of chocolate she should have for dinner that night. She could be thinking of any number of things, really. One thing is for certain, she is blessed with a wonderful family and a lovely life.

A Simple Menu for Entertaining Dinner Guests

As a pastor's wife, I find myself often inviting people from either our church or the community over for dinner. Not only do we like the time of conversation and getting to know others, but we also like the benefits of teaching our children to mind their manners and be polite to our dinner guests. (And having the house clean for company is definitely a benefit the day after, but it seems to add to my stress level the day of!)

Anyway, I thought I'd share a simple, fairly mess-free dinner menu. Be aware this will not win any awards for the cheapest or most home-style meal. But hopefully it will encourage you to invite your friends over to dinner, and reduce your stress level while doing so.

1. Barbeque Chicken--Use whatever marinade you like on your chicken. Plain old BBQ sauce will do fine, if you don't want to be creative. (Although as we just finished with maple syrup season up here, my husband made a marinade using sap water. It turned out really yummy!)

Here's a hint: boil your chicken until it's mostly cooked a couple of hours before throwing it on the grill. Then just grill it for fifteen minutes or so. This prevents your chicken from getting that dried-out, over-grilled toughness.

2. Cheesy Potato Casserole--As I can't claim authorship of this wonderful recipe, I'll give you the link here. This is a simple, tasteful recipe. You can make it several hours ahead of time and leave it in the fridge until ready to pop into the oven. And I dirty one bowl (plus the pan I put the potatoes in) while making it. I don't know about you, but I'm always game for a mess-free recipe.

3. Salad--Now this can be as elaborate or simple as you want. You could go all out with veggies from your own garden during the right time of year, and your own homemade dressing. As for me, I go for the bagged salad from the store. It's simple, and you don't have a mess.

4. Biscuits--Again, this can be as elaborate or simple as you want. Personally, I buy the Grands biscuits from the store and pop them in the oven. But if you want to make from scratch, feel free to do that as well.

5. Dessert--I try to keep this simple, too., and I usually opt for the Easy Peanut Butter Pie recipe I shared last month. Oftentimes my dinner guests will ask if I want them to bring anything to the meal, and when they ask, I usually suggest they bring a dessert. Then I don't have to worry about preparing something sweet, and I can coordinate the rest of the meal to fit together.

So there you have it: A simple dinner menu for entertaining guests. Now I'm curious to know if any of you have your own dinner-guest tricks you'd like to share. Or maybe someone has that perfect, simple recipe for homemade biscuits?

Sour Cream and Bacon Crockpot Chicken

4 chicken breasts
bacon slices
1 can (10oz) roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. flour
(optional, chopped onion, more garlic, parmesan cheese (at the end as a topping)
egg noodles

Wrap raw bacon around each raw breast and place in crockpot.

In bowl, combine soup, sour cream, and flour (onion and garlic if desired). Whisk. Pour this concoction over chicken.

Cook on low 6-8 hours or until meat is 160 degrees. Cook noodles according to package, rewhisk the sauce, and serve over noodles.

Caveat: This doesn't look very appealing but it is extremely yummy.

Chicken or Beef, The Choice Is Yours!

Two great recipes to choose from! Today's recipe post features KerryAnn Foster's Cooking Traditional Foods Menu Mailers. These two recipes are just a tantalizing temptation to what can be found in her menu mailers. I have subscribed to KerryAnn's menu mailers in the past and they are wonderful helps. The thing that I love most about KerryAnn's recipes is knowing that healthy meals don't have to take all day to make nor do they have to taste like cardboard! She offers gluten-free options on her menus as well as casein-free options for those sensitive to dairy.

• • Apple and Maple Chicken

    
    Tuesday Serves 4-6
    Hands-on: 25 minutes
    Hands-off: 20-40 minutes

    
    
    2-3 apples, sliced
    1 cup plus 2 Tbs coconut oil, melted
    ½ cup white or apple cider vinegar
    ¼ cup lemon juice
    scant 3 Tbs Dijon mustard
    2 garlic cloves, chopped
    2 tsp dried basil
    2 tsp dried oregano
    1 tsp salt
    ¼ tsp pepper
    1/3 to ½ cup maple syrup or honey
    1 onion, sliced
    1 whole chicken, cut up, or 4 breasts or 8 thighs, bone-in and skin-on
    
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish, scatter apples in dish and set aside. In a blender, combine the 1 cup oil, vinegar, lemon, mustard, garlic, basil, oregano, ½ tsp salt, pepper and maple syrup. Blend until well combined, taste and adjust seasonings if needed, and set aside.
    
    Sprinkle the remaining salt over the chicken breasts. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbs coconut oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove

    
    from the pan. Place the chicken skin side down and brown for 4 minutes. Flip the chicken over and brown for another 4 minutes. Transfer pieces to the baking dish and sprinkle the onion over top. Pour the reserved sauce over all. Place in the oven and bake 40-45 minutes for a whole chicken, 30-40 minutes for breasts alone, 40-50 minutes for thighs, or 20-25 for cubed, boneless, skinless breasts.
    
    Serve over rice with sautéed greens.

    And for the beef lovers, here's one for you!

    
    

    Sweet and Sour Beef Stew

    
    

    Saturday Serves 4-6

    Hands-on: 20 minutes
    Hands-off: 1 ½ hours
    
    2 Tbs coconut oil, butter, ghee or tallow
    1½ lbs beef stew meat, cubed
    2 onions, sliced
    2 carrots, shredded
    1 cup tomato sauce
    ½ cup beef stock
    ¼ cup rapadura
    ¼ cup vinegar
    1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
    1 tsp salt
    1 Tbs cold water
    2 tsp cornstarch
    
    In a Dutch oven or stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the stew meat and brown on all sides, in batches if necessary. Stir in the onion and carrot and sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, stock, rapadura, vinegar, Worcestershire and salt. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1½ hours or until the meat is

    
    tender.
    
    In a small bowl, whisk the cold water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir into the stew and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
    
    Serve over noodles.

Cooking Tradiditonal Foods has a giveaway going on right now, ends Oct 31, 2011, in which you can enter to win a year's subscription to the Menu Mailer and the Recipe Archive. Besides subscriptions, CTF has e-Books for sale including Kid's Favorites.

KerryAnn Foster runs Cooking Traditional Foods, the longest running Traditional Foods Menu Mailer on the internet. She has over nine years of traditional foods experience and is a former Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leader. CTF was founded in 2005 and helps you feed your family nourishing foods they will love!

Hearty Kielbasa and Potato

I like this one because it only dirties one pan, cutting board, and strainer, quick, easy, and husband LOVES it.

2 lbs potatoes (about 6 potatoes cut in cubes)
1 lb kielbasa (halved and sliced)
2 cups frozen green beans
1T olive oil
1 tsp Creole Seasoning (make your own)
1/4 tsp salt
onion flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced

Place cubed potatoes in a dutch oven or deep pan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and cook for 12-15 minutes. Add frozen green beans and cook for 5-6 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In empty pan, cook kielbasa until browned. Add the potatoes, oil, seasoning, salt, onion flakes (your discretion), and garlic, stir. Cook on low for a bit until heated through

Shannon Vannatter Returns!

So yesterday we spoke with award-winning romance author Shannon Vannatter about her newest book, Rodeo Dust, which releases in October - as well as where she gets her ideas, how she met her husband, and her shocking puzzle obsession (gasp!)

Today we're back with a few more questions for Shannon - and we can't wait to find out how she, as a pastor's wife, author, and mom of a nine-year-old does it all!

Jenny: How do you write best?

Shannon: My husband and I have a separate office that we share. If I really need to get some writing done, I'm in the office at my desk. If I'm not pressed for time, sometimes I'll do a change of scenery and take my laptop to the recliner in the living room. The summer before last, I did a lot of writing on the front steps of our house, while my son was in the pool with friends. This summer, I decided they were old enough to be out there alone and set up shop at the dining room table next to the window so I could check on them. I write best with no noise or distractions. No TV, music, or anyone home and awake.

Shannon at the computer, writing my very first "badly written" (her words) book back in 1999.

Jenny: Sounds wonderful. Mine is still two, so I'm a little more hands-on now... Well, how do you balance all your many responsibilities, besides parenting and spending time with your husband, like household chores, exercise, Bible study and so forth?

Shannon: During the school year, I write while my son's at school and my husband's at work. When I pick up my son, the computer goes on the back burner. As far as exercise goes, we live on a dead-end gravel road, so when weather permits, after we get homework done, I walk up the road, which is all uphill and quite long, while my son rides his kid-sized four-wheeler. When weather doesn't permit, I do aerobics or treadmill after I take him to school.In the summer, I write after everyone goes to bed, sometimes til 2:00 if I'm on a roll. My son and I both love to swim, so that's my exercise for the summer. We have a lovely blue Walmart pool in our front yard. It was the only spot level enough. And then there's time spent together as a family when my husband gets home from the dental lab.

Jenny: So your husband's a dentist, too, then. You've mentioned before that he's bivocational. Talk about a Renaissance man - dentist and pastor! I love it!

Shannon: So do I! And after our son goes to bed, my husband and I drink coffee and talk for an hour each night.

Jenny: Wait... you drink coffee at night?!

Shannon: Yes, we drink coffee at night. We're such caffeine freaks, it doesn't keep us up.

Jenny: Wow. It would keep me up! Not my husband, of course, who's Brazilian - and Brazilians practically invented coffee. He could probably take it intravenously all day long and still fall asleep. Me? I'd be up all night on the back of the sofa playing the fiddle to some noisy bluegrass.

Shannon: (laughing) Well, I'm a night person, so it helps me wind down. I study my Bible at night, too. Saturday is family day, and we try to do something fun that we all enjoy. I often have speaking engagements or book signings on Saturday, but I try to arrange it where we still have some time - and I try not to book back-to-back Saturdays with writing-related stuff. A lot of the time when I speak at conferences, my guys come with me, and we make it a mini-vacation. Sunday is our busiest, most stressful day because my husband is a bi-vocational pastor.

Shannon says this book signing picture was snapped at a local store that's been really supportive, The Bible House.

Jenny: Well, as a busy mom, do you have any tips, plans, schedules, or advice that keep your household running smoothly?

Shannon: Not a one. I live, work, and love by the seat my pants. I'm the most unorganized person you'll ever hope to meet.

Jenny: (laughing) That must be why we get along so well! I'm very much the same way. So... tell us about your other previously published books. Which ones have been your favorites?

Shannon: I think White Roses will always be dear to my heart. I wrote it shortly after my husband sprang his calling on me. We'd been married sixteen years, and he told me God was calling him to preach. So I wrote a book with a girl feeling unworthy of dating the preacher. That's what the story ended up being after about twenty-five versions, but that's what it started out as. And it was my first traditionally published book and my first major award winner.

Jenny: What other projects do you have in the works?

Shannon: This French guy has been bugging me for about three years. But I didn't have time for him, and I didn't have a setting for him. I finally figured out where his story takes place, so I'm working on the first three chapters and a proposal.

Jenny: Wow! Can't wait to read that one! What else?

Shannon: I have another with an Arkansas setting. It was originally one of my early suspense works. I started from scratch and am rewriting it without the suspense part. But the French guy is bugging me more so that's what I'm currently working on. They're both longer works, more in the 80,000 word realm.

Jenny: What advice would you give to writers hoping to be published one day?

Shannon: Join ACFW. I learned genre generic craft at local conferences. But I learned what it takes to get published, specific to my genre through ACFW.

Jenny: And that's where we met, too, over lovely desserts... in fact, I have a picture of fellow Barbour authors Julie Jarnigan and Roger Bruner with their beautiful chocolate cake right here. (Surprise!) Remember this?

Jenny: Of course I was probably the only weirdo there snapping pictures of other people's plates... Speaking of food, how about that recipe from Rodeo Dust?

Shannon: Here it is!

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef
2 cans pinto beans
1 8 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 can sweet corn
1 can Ro-Tel ( I use original)
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 chopped onion
2 to 3 cans water (depending on how much broth you like)

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain and add remaining ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes. Also great in Crock Pot all day. Serve with Frito corn chips and shredded cheese.

Jenny: Thanks, Shannon! Let's have a few more questions about you before we sign off. What's your favorite thing about your house and the place where you live?

Shannon: I love that we live in the middle of a hayfield. It's very peaceful. You can hear the frogs and crickets at night. And occasionally a pack of coyotes. They sound kind of creepy, but it's home. My parents are across the hayfield, so my son thinks he lives there.

Jenny: I love coyotes! Sigh... Okay, name a place you'd love to go - and a place you'd never want to go.

Shannon: I'd love to go to Georgia. I still have an aunt and cousins there. We've only been there twice since we moved when I was twelve. And... I don't want to go anywhere outside this country. Why bother when we live in the U. S., the best country ever. (I can't believe I said that to someone who lives in Brazil!)

Jenny: I'm totally with you on what a great country we have. But... a certain 6'5" Brazilian and our little curly-haired son made me change my mind about my permanent residency for a while! So how would you spend the perfect day? Watching a soccer game in Maracanã stadium in Rio? (Just kidding...)

Shannon: No way! With my family. Playing putt golf or tracking through the woods in the fall.

Jenny: The woods in the fall sounds great, especially when I live in eternal summer! Well, to wrap up, Shannon, what's one thing most people probably don't know about you (and
might be surprised if they did)?

Shannon: I'm very girly. People know that. I love ruffles, lace, sparkles, high heel shoes, makeup, and primping. But I also love hiking in the woods, riding four-wheelers, and bowling. But nothing as yucky as fishing. My son is into fishing right now. Ugh.

--

Well, that's it for today with Shannon Vannatter! And I'm so thankful she could stop by and spend some time giving us these insights about herself and her life. Best wishes on your newest book, Shannon, and in your writing career!

Jenny Rogers Spinola lives in Brasilia, Brazil with her Brazilian husband, Athos, and nearly three-year-old son, Ethan. She didn't want to ever leave the U.S., either, but is really glad she did! Jenny teaches ESL private classes and is the author of Barbour Publishing's "Southern Fried Sushi" series (first book released OCTOBER FIRST!) and an upcoming romance novella collection based on Yellowstone National Park (also with Barbour Books).

Roasted Chicken With Spices

If you read my Wednesday post, you probably know I love to use my slow cooker. This recipe is my go-to meal when I'm feeling tired or have a lot to pack in my day. I usually buy whole chickens on sale and freeze them, so I have a bird on hand when I need it. You can also use chicken breasts, legs or thighs if you don't have an entire bird. Leftover chicken makes a yummy chicken salad with a little chopped red onion and mayonnaise.

Roasted Chicken With Spices

Whole chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons of Chicken Spice Mix

Chicken Spice Mix

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon paprika

½ tablespoon cayenne pepper

Mix spices together in a small bowl. Store in airtight container, such as a small jar. Remove insides of chicken (gizzards, etc.). Rinse chicken under cold running water; pat dry with paper towels. Put chicken breast-side up in crock pot. Rub with olive oil, then rub in 1 ½ teaspoons of the spice mixture. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, depending on the size of the bird.

Vegetable and Fish Soup

by Melissa Jagears

I like this soup because it is fast and can easily be adapted to use leftovers.

4 fillets of fish (I generally use tilapia)
black pepper
1 T olive oil
2 cups of fresh vegetables thinly sliced (if I don't have some kind of garden leftovers, I use frozen peas and carrots)
14 oz can (OR 2 cups) vegetable or chicken broth
2 1/4 cup water (OR 2 cups if you use 2 cups broth)
leftover mashed potatoes  (I'm sure potato flakes, salt and butter would work too)
salt, saltines or parmesan

Put oil and fish in deep sided skillet or dutch oven.
Pepper to taste.
(If you have fresh veggies, chop and add to fish in skillet.)
Over medium heat, cook for 3 minutes, break fish apart into bit size pieces with spatula.
Add broth and water. (If you have frozen veggies, add now)
Bring to a boil,
Reduce heat, simmer, covered, for 3 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with fork.
Throw in mashed potatoes (the more potatoes, the creamier the broth) or throw in the amount of flakes, and butter to make about 2 servings of potatoes and stir until dissolved.
Now, I either salt to taste, or
I like to throw in parmesan to taste but hubby hates parmesan, so he crumbles in saltines if he wants more than just the salt.

About 20 minutes 4 servings.

Chicken Divine

• 1 lb Chicken (can use breasts, tenderloins, canned chicken, dark meat, whatever your preferences are)
• 8 oz Reduced Fat Sour Cream
• 2 cans Cream of Celery soup

The first step in making this dish depends on what kind of chicken you decide to use. My family prefers to use chicken breasts, which we cut into bite-sized pieces and then sauté. However, you can use baked chicken or canned chicken...just make sure that with whatever kind you use that it's fully cooked by the time you combine it with the sauce.

To make the sauce:

Combine the sour cream and the cans of soup in a mixing bowl. After stirring to make sure the sauce is mixed well, transfer to a pot and place on medium heat on the stove.

Once the sauce has heated (make sure it doesn’t start boiling!), add the chicken directly into the pot. Allow chicken and sauce to simmer together on low heat for about 5-7 minutes.

When we have this dish for dinner, we make brown rice to go along with it, putting the chicken and sauce directly on top of the rice.

And be sure and save the leftovers if you have some. I personally think it’s even yummier the next day!

Portobello Mushroom Tortellini

by Desirea Packard

Portobello Mushroom Tortellini

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound cheese tortellini
3 large portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine (can substitute white grape juice)
parsley
garlic
3/4 pound alfredo pasta sauce
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Bring pasta to a boil, cook for 8 to 10 minutes until done; drain. Meanwhile, prepare mushrooms by rinsing and thinly slicing the mushroom caps. In a medium skillet over low heat, combine wine, parsley, garlic and mushrooms, saute for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove skillet from heat and slowly add alfredo sauce, stirring to blend; season with salt and pepper. Separate hot pasta into servings and spoon sauce over pasta. Garnish with cheese.

Gluten Free Beef Biscuit Bake

by Doula Brandi

For the past decade I have eaten wheat free foods. I have a mild wheat allergy and cannot tolerate the non-sprouted grain. Being wheat free was daunting at first but over time I’ve learned to adjust. Now I can take almost any recipe and adapt it to my own use. Sometimes it takes a couple tries to get it right mind you! But seldom anymore does a whole batch go into the compost pile!

Healthy wheat free recipes usually don’t qualify as ‘easy’, meaning that everything must be made from scratch. So I have looked for casserole and crock-pot recipes over the years to simplify the food prep and reduce my time in the kitchen. One of our family’s favorites is called Spinach Beef Bake. This recipe is a spin-off of an old Taste of Home recipe. I have adapted it with a gluten free crust and a simple yet tasty & healthy filling.

Crust, Gluten Free

¼ cup potato starch flour

½ cup tapioca starch flour

¾ cup brown rice flour

2 tsp guar gum (or xanthan gum) [this gives the GF flours some ‘stick-to-it-ness’ that gluten provides in wheat flours]

2 tsp baking powder. Aluminum free preferred.

½ tsp sea salt

Mix together dry ingredients then add:

2 eggs

½ cup almond, rice or dairy milk

1/3 cup oil

Blend together wet and dry ingredients, pour into a 9 X 13 pan and spread out the batter, pushing it up the sides a bit.

Filling

1# ground beef or turkey, brown over medium heat, remove from heat and drain if needed.

Add seasonings such as: salt, pepper, basil, oregano or seasoned salt to taste.

Add 1 package frozen spinach, mix well.

Shred 4 oz cheese, I use Monterrey, cheddar or Colby Jack into a bowl and add

2 eggs, mix well and add to the meat & spinach mixture.

Pour into the batter lined pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the crust is done and just starting to brown and the eggs are set in the center.

This takes a little bit of prep time, but most of the cooking time is spent in the oven, while I am doing something else. It’s a one dish meal, all that is needed is a tossed salad and dinner is served!

This dish can be made very quick and easy if you are not wheat or gluten free. Simply 2 cans of refrigerated biscuits instead of the scratch biscuits pressing them into your pan, sealing the edges of the biscuits together to form the crust. Continue with the filling and bake as directed above.

Easy Dinner for Busy Moms - Creamy Tortilla Soup

by Melissa Jagears

I had extra turkey leftovers from the holidays. (Who doesn't have leftovers?) After a few sandwiches, I was down to the dregs, maybe a cup of shredded turkey. So, Leftover Tortilla Soup was in order.

Quick Easy Creamy Tortilla Soup (Less than 15 minutes)

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chilies (Or a substitute for tomatoes and chilies is 1 cup salsa if you do not have this on hand)
1 can refried beans
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 to 1 cup corn (frozen, fresh, canned, whatever)
1 lb cooked chicken or turkey (or whatever you got left!)
shredded cheese
tortilla chips

Stir tomatoes, salsa, beans, broth and corn in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add meat until heated through. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese and crushed tortilla chips to liking.

I ladle serving sizes into freezer bags and freeze for later since this makes too much for my family to eat in one sitting.

Pull out of the freezer, place it in a sink of hot water to soften enough to get it out of the bag and zap it in the microwave.