When I was a growing up in California, my mom used to make Tamale Pie all the time. It was one of those take it or leave it meals, as a kid, but for some reason, I love it as an adult! When I saw a recipe for California Tamale Pie with Corn and Black Olives in Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker by Beth Hensberger and Julie Kaufmann, we had to try it.

 

This recipe is so good, we have made it twice in less than a month!  It freezes beautifully for hubby’s lunches, and was DELICIOUS the next day for our lunch. It would also be a crowd pleaser for potlucks and gatherings!

 

Naturally, I have experimented and made some changes to their fabulous recipe, adding extra spices in the meat mixture! It is made in two steps.

 

Meat Mixture

1 pound lean ground beef, turkey or chicken

2 small white onions, chopped fine

3-5 cloves of garlic

Sauté in a pan until well cooked. Drain fat and liquids, then sprinkle with:

3 tablespoons of pre mild to medium hot chile powder

1-2 teaspoons cumin

Optional – add one can of pinto or black beans if desired (I use frozen crock cooked beans)

Cook to mix flavors through. I like to give it a bit of salt and pepper to taste at this point.Spray crock with non stick spray, and put the meat mixture in the bottom.

 

Cornmeal Mixture

In a separate bowl combine

¾ cup medium grind yellow cornmeal

1 ¼ cups whole milk or almond milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1 to 2 teaspoons of salt (to taste)

Pinch of ground cumin

1 16 oz can stewed tomatoes with chilies, drained and chopped

1 can corn or 2 cups frozen corn or 3 to 4 ears of corn, kernels cut off

1 14 oz can pitted ripe California black olives, drained and coarsely chopped

 

Whip together cornmeal, milk, egg, salt and cumin, whisking until smooth. Dump tomatoes, corn and chopped olives in, stirring to combine all ingredients. Pour cornmeal mixture over the meat mixture in the crockpot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. The cornmeal on top will form a pretty cornmeal looking “crust” on top.

 

Topping at end (you can absolutely skip this, if it doesn’t sound appealing or you don’t want all that cheese!)

1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese or a combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil

Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the Tamale Pie, drizzle with oil, cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 10 minutes to melt the cheese.

 

Serve with Spanish rice, refried beans and a salad!

Love those little cookbooks they have in the check out line at grocery stores? Here is a free Betty Crocker Cookbook on Soups and Stews - some of their all time favorites! Enjoy it!

Gluten free baking can be a serious challenge to meld everything into the delicious flavor and texture you crave. When a friend of mine announced her upcoming wedding, to man who cannot handle gluten, I told her we would make the cake, or rather the CUPCAKES, for her wedding! So the challenge was on, how to create gluten free cupcakes, preferably from a GF mix, that everyone would want to eat.

The next day, I was blessed to find 8 gluten free cake mixes at 75% off, so the adventure begins. So when a craving for peanut butter cupcakes struck, we headed to the kitchen to see what we could create! Our first attempt, this Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cupcake was moist, flavorful and definitely a hit!

• 1 Namaste Foods Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix
• 4 eggs (free range, Omega 3)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• a few DROPS of maple extract - use extreme caution - maple is VERY flavorful and can quickly overtake it!
• 1 1/2 cups peanuts

Heat oven to 350. Put cupcake liners in cupcake pan, spray lightly with non-stick spray.

In food processor, fitted with the metal chopping blade, dump the GF vanilla cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, sour cream, vanilla and the teeny, itty, bitty bit of maple!  Blend well. Taste, adjust vanilla and maple extracts if you need them - don’t be afraid to taste it and tweak it!

Since I had very little of my favorite Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter left, but had a ton of regular peanuts, we experimented with the peanuts in this version. Add the 1 to 1 1/2 cups peanuts, and blend quickly. The metal blade will make peanut butter out of it! Taste - does it have the flavor you are looking for? I added a few dashes of salt, since it seemed a bit sweet for my preference. This made a tremendous difference, toning down the sugar flavor.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, and check to see if those little gluten free peanut butter cupcakes are done!  Frost with your choice of frosting, or just pig out on them plain!

Simple Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup peanuts
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup confectioners sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• dash salt
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

In food processor with steel blade, grind up peanuts until you make peanut butter. Add butter and cream cheese, mixing until a creamy consistency. Add sugar, vanilla and dash of salt and blend well. Add 1/2 cup whipping cream and beat until fluffy. Frost cupcakes, top with more peanuts or shaved chocolate and serve.

Finally, a recipe for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cupcakes, from a mix, like the Cake Mix Doctor! Enjoy celiacs and gluten intolerant friends!

I absolutely love to read recipes. Today, while cleaning out the fridge, evaluating what needs to be used and putting together a grocery list, I came across a bag of oranges and a bag of apples that needed to be used, along with 1/2 of a huge pork loin bought on sale. Later on, Southern Living happened to email me some Christmas recipes, along with Pork Tenderloin with Carolina Apple Compote….and this is my adaptation with a twist, upgraded to anti-inflammatory choices.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour(s) 46 minutes
Other: 2 hour(s) 15 minutes
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

 

Ingredients

• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  teaspoons  cumin
• 2  teaspoons  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  pepper
• 1  dried cayenne pepper, diced or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1  (3-lb.) boneless pork loin roast
• 2  teaspoons  EVOO
• 2  pounds Gala apples, unpeeled (or peeled if your family is squeamish about skins)
• 1  tablespoon  lemon juice
• 1  cup  apple cider
• 2 oranges, juiced and their zest (to pour and bake over pork roast)
• 1 orange, juiced (for apple compote)
• 2 1/2  teaspoons  orange zest
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1  tablespoon  butter

 

Preparation

1. Combine first 4 ingredients. Rub mixture on all sides of pork roast. Cover and chill 2 hours, or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375°. Brown roast in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 4 minutes on all sides. It will smell utterly delicious as you brown it! Place pork on a baking stone or a lightly greased rack in an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Juice oranges, and pour fresh orange juice over pork roast. Sprinkle with orange zest and cayenne peppers or red pepper flakes.

3. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150°. Cover roast with foil, and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

4. Meanwhile, cut apples into bite-size pieces; sprinkle with lemon juice.

5. Add cider, fresh orange juice and next 4 ingredients to skillet. Cook, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add apples, and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or just until apples are tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in butter until melted, and remove skillet from heat. Stir any accumulated pan juices from roast into compote. Serve compote immediately with pork.

We served this with baked sweet potatoes, and spinach sauteed with garlic, and it was phenomenal! Full of anti-oxidants and healthy, vitamin packed fruits, it really took the chill of an evening that got down to 12 degrees. You will be feeding your family a super healthy meal that will boost immunity too.

One of the hardest things about FINDING healthy crock pot meals, is most recipes call for MSG infested “cream of something” soup. Yuck! Not going to eat that stuff. So finding recipes that do not have a cans of soup, or tons of flour, are a challenge! I adapted this from a recipe on cooks.com for CROCK POT BEEF STROGANOFF! This is my gluten free, MSG free, cream of something soup free version! I will let you know how it is! 

3 lb. beef round steak, 1/2 inch thick
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 med. onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can condensed beef broth
1/4 c. dry white wine (optional)
1 1/2 c. sour cream

Trim all excess fat from steak and cut meat into 3 inch strips about 1/2 inch wide. Combine salt, pepper and dry mustard; toss with steak strips to coat thoroughly. Place coated steak strips in crock pot; stir in onion rings and mushrooms. Add beef broth and wine; stir well. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours. Before serving, stir sour cream into crock pot.

What sounds better than a warm and nourishing bowl of chicken soup on a winter day, when the mercury is hovering around the freezing point? How about a delicious bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup adapted from a recipe my friend Lucy makes, back home in CA? I have switched to our fantastic “Bone Building Broth” (on The Prudent Wife website) and added more vegetables and garlic, to up the anti-oxidants and nutrition. Just reading the ingredients, you can almost taste it!

• 4-6 boneless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1- 28 oz. canned whole tomatoes
• 1-28 oz. enchilada sauce (homemade, recipe on The Prudent Wife website)
• 3 med to large onions, chopped
• 1 7oz. can of green chilies, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
• 12 cups of water and 4 Tbls. of chicken bouillon -or-
• 12 cups homemade bone building broth
• 1tsp. of chili powder
•  1tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of pepper
• 1 bag of organic chopped veggies (carrots/corn/green beans)
• 2 diced red or yellow bell peppers
• 2-3 Tbls. of fresh cilantro
  Optional: Add a large can of pinto beans or fresh pinto beans, which is what I do.

Saute chopped onions in EVOO in a large stock pot until browned. Combine all ingredients into the large stock pot. Boil first and then simmer(I leave it on low for at least an hour) or place in a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Optional, serve topped with tortilla chips and cheese!

Hope you like it. It’s one of my FAVORITE soups!!!

What sounds better than a warm and nourishing bowl of chicken soup on a winter day, when the mercury is hovering around the freezing point? How about a delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe from my friend Lucy back home? Just reading the ingredients, you can almost taste it! Already have the chicken simmering on the stove, what could be better than Chicken Tortilla Soup on a cold winter day?

4-6 boneless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1- 28 oz. canned whole tomatoes
1-28 oz. enchilada sauce ( I use the red Las Palmas sauce)
1 large onion, chopped
1 7oz. can of green chilies, diced
1/2 tsp. of minced garlic
12 cups of water
4 Tbls. of Knorr’s chicken bouillon
1tsp. of chili powder
1tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of pepper
1 bag of frozen corn
2-3 Tbls. of fresh cilantro
Optional: Add a large can of pinto beans or fresh pinto beans, which is what I do.

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Boil first and then simmer(I leave it on low for atleast an hour) or place in a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Serve topped with tortilla chips and cheese!

Hope you like it. It’s one of my FAVORITE soups!!!

• 4 Portabello mushrooms
• 1 cup spinach (give or take - a nice handful!
• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• 1 Teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1 Teaspoon Oregano
• 1 dried cayenne pepper, chopped (optional) or 1/2 teaspoon of dried red pepper
• Garlic powder or granulated garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Small container Feta Cheese (we tried Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Feta Cheese)

Preheat oven to 450.

Rinse the portabello  mushrooms if desired. Some do, some don’t. Place mushrooms cap tops DOWN on a baking stone or sheet. You can spray Pam on the sheet first, or rub with EVOO to prevent sticking. I like to sprinkle the mushrooms with garlic powder/granulated garlic. Use what you have!

This super simple Portabello Pizza has a simple filling. Begin by chopping spinach up, trying not to bruise it! Add oregano, garlic, and a drizzle of EVOO to hold things together. Cut cayenne into slices with scissors, or add red pepper flakes if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Sample it, do you like it? This should taste fresh and full of garlicky, basily flavor. If not, adjust seasonings, throw a little oil in. Only don’t go too salty, the feta cheese will add more salt flavor!

Spoon spinach mixture into portabello mushrooms evenly.

Top with feta cheese and a drizzle of EVOO if you would like! Pop into a 450 oven for 10 minutes!

Enjoy this healthy, vitamin packed, anti-inflammatory Pizza idea for lunch, alongside a hearty soup for dinner, or using smaller portabellos, as a snack!

Just called home to ask my Mom what our family sugar cookie recipe is. It seems like it was similar to this, although I definitely remember a small amount of milk in it and it seems like 3 cups of flour. Will have to wait for my Mom to call me back!

OLD FASHION SUGAR THIN COOKIES

Printed from COOKS.COM

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2 sticks butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg (beaten)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream shortening, add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix until light and creamy. Sift flour, add soda and cream of tartar. Mix well and chill dough. Roll into small balls and flatten with palm of hand. Put on greased pan and bake at 325 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

How about some fun recipes we are making this Thanksgiving weekend with friends!

CREAM CHEESE SUGAR COOKIES

Printed from COOKS.COM

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1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
2 1/4 c. flour

Combine and blend all ingredients except flour. When well mixed add flour. Chill for a couple of hours. Roll 1/3 of the dough at a time 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

 

Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes or until just edges are light brown. Makes 5 to 6 dozen.