I've Moved....

Be sure to come on over and see me at www.HOPEfullKitchen.com

Farm Life Prescriptions...

I realize how blessed our family is to enjoy our home the way we do. Our area enjoyed a bit of warmer weather this weekend; muddy as it was. The kids go up, did their chores, and commenced to getting as muddy as they possibly could. Their 4-wheeler is disgusting and thankfully they kept most of their riding to the back fields. No watching tv and playing video games all day here. They love to be outside and in the woods as much as possible. Of course they don't realize the health benefits of such a lifestyle. However, we do!  Thankfully, we don't deal with much in the way of illnesses on the Hill Farm. Don't get me wrong, they could both come home sick as can be today. If they do, they do. Our family thoroughly believes in the health benefits of sunshine, dirt, running, climbing, homemade food, and thanking our God for every bit of it!  I encourage everyone to partake in that prescription. 

Keeping a busy household on course is preparing as much as you can ahead of time. When I'm making our sausage or ground venison; I go ahead and portion everything out to make it easier to store in the freezer. Buying a bulk of aluminum pans with their lids makes it easier to prepare a couple of casseroles to store for "fast food" nights. One of our favorites would be Breakfast Burritos. 

Breakfast Burritos

2 lbs of cooked sausage 

1 dozen eggs scrambeled

16 tortillas 

I like to use the fiesta Rudi's tortillas, but paleo tortillas and even crepes work well. I build the tortillas and add fresh spinach to some, cheese, or salsa. Wrap them up in freezer paper and label your burritos for easy access. I store them in an open aluminum storage pan on a shelf in my freezer. These are great because they are easy, healthy, and allow you to be as creative as you'd like. Enjoy and Eat Well!

Food Allergies Equals Food Snobs...

Our family has discovered over the years that we have turned into "food snobs". We don't eat out at restaurants a whole lot due to food safety and tend to eat at the same restaurants when we do go out. However, the Restaurants we do tend to frequent are of higher quality. As everyone can attest; it is more expensive to eat healthy. We are extremely lucky to be able to lead the lifestyle that we do. Our sustainability allows us to enjoy healthier meats such as the pork and chicken that we have raised ourselves, the fresh eggs that we gather. A lot of our fruits and vegetables were grown by us on our farm. When you eat as natural and healthy as we do, it can be difficult to enjoy the new burger place everyone is bragging about. It's not as enjoyable to eat the movie theatre popcorn when my husband makes ours on the stove top and cover it with ghee. In a way this is great because we really don't eat out much at all. It also makes the visits to bigger cities such as St. Louis and Nashville much more enjoyable. We research and look forward to trying those locally owned, organic restaurants that can safely serve us. Yes, they are much more expensive than the fast food restaurants. However, you truly do get what you pay for... In all things in my experience.  I've had quite a few requests for ghee. It's really easy to make and has a long shelf life. Start with a good amount of grass fed butter. 

Place in your stove top in a pot to melt down. 

You are essentially cooking off the milk fat and water. 

The dairy will float to the top as it separates. You are going to cook until the butter takes in a golden look. You can use a spoon to move fats off the top to get a good look at the bottom of your pot. 

Use a coffee filter and a funnel to strain ghee. This part takes the longest. 

But you are left with a flavorful fat to use as you wish. Melt to pour into popcorn. Use to cook your meat or veggies. Scrambled eggs with ghee is unbelievable. Have fun and enjoy!! 

Cooking for your freezer...

 Have you made any New Years Resolutions?  Is yours to be more prepared/organized in the kitchen? To eat  healthier?  

Gnocchi is a great go-with-anything freezer staple. It is a potato pasta that is fluffy like a dumpling. Gnocchi can be made with any potato; I can remember a couple of years ago my CSA basket was full of sweet potatoes and led to a lot of gnocchi. You can add cheese or veggies to the dough as well. It's super versatile that can be treated as a pasta with a simple sauce or often-enough at my house as a dumpling. 

Roast your potatoes in the oven until cooked through. Remove skins when cool to the touch. 

Get out your trusty potato masher or a fork and mash away. But not too much. The potatoes will be chunky. The less you do with this dough, the better it is. It is truly rustic. Add an egg and mash into the potatoes until combined. Next you pick your flour such as potato here...

Combine flour a little at a time until the dough starts to hold together. Cover it up and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes. It's tired. 😉

Tear off bits of dough and roll into logs. Use a light hand. It shapes really easily. 

Cut into bite-size pieces. You may want to toss a hand full of your flour onto pasta to prevent sticking. 

Place gnocchi into boiling salted water or as I do into boiling stock for lots of flavor. It cooks very quickly and floats to the top when done. 

Do as you wish with these fluffy beauties! Toss into a skillet with garlic and olive oil for a tasty side dish or make as a yummy main course. The best thing?  Toss these into a freezer bag, label, and save for those busy nights that a quick meal is in order. This weekend I used a batch as dumplings in my Rabbit & Dumplings...

Happy New Year Friends!!! 

Where Have I Been?

Well, to answer that question I will tell you that my husband and I opened our own business. It has been something we have thought and prayed about for a long time and when I lost my Step-Father who raised my brother and I... Things changed. Losing him so suddenly really put a lot of things into perspective for us. My husband and I married young and had to build up our "nest egg" for a long time. After a lot of prayers we started seeing God really working and opening doors for us that had not been there in the past. We decided to let God take control and we've never been more excited or busy!  Opening a business is not for the faint of heart and I have done more paperwork these past couple of weeks than I ever had. We have been truly blessed with a business that has been up and running non-stop since we made our decision. We have been blessed with Family and close friends rooting us on and passing out business cards to whomever they meet. As my role as my Husband's biggest fan and personal assistant is slowing down a bit... I wanted to share all of these changes with you all!  

Now to good stuff in the kitchen!  My crock-pot has been working overtime to fix dinner for me. We happened to have a rooster that needed to be put in a pot, so I was happy to oblige. We now have some beautiful canned chicken stock and enough pulled meat for a couple of different meals. Do you prepare ahead?

My Paleo Chicken!

One organic, free range chicken from my farm or yours... Or the grocery, Lol

2 stalks celery

3 medium carrots

1 onion quartered

Place all in crockpot and cover with water for at least 6 hours on low setting. Overnight is best. 

Remove chicken to pull meat when cool to the touch. Strain your stock to can or freeze ( I do both). 

Bringing God Back Into The Kitchen

My daughter asked me if God gave her food allergies.  The answer...Yes, he did.  I then reminded her that God has a plan for everyone and everything.  She asked if I knew what God's plan was for her food allergies and if she would ever grow out of them.  I told her that she was very lucky.  I told her that because of her Hypersensitivity Spectrum Autism that her body only knew what "real" food was.  I shared with her that most people in the world had food allergies and/or intolerances but have never realized it.  Her body doesn't allow itsself to be tricked by "fake" food.  I then told my kids a story.  I told them how a long time ago there were lots of farmers who grew food for their families.  They also had chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, and other farm animals that provided their eggs, milk, and meat for families.  I told them how people lived this way for thousands and thousands of years, but it was not to last forever.  As time went on people changed more and more.  Soon there were not a lot of farmers left in the world because people were moving into cities.  Little did they know that soon the government would have to "help" the people with their food sources.  Without enough farmers; scientists figured out how to make a little food go a lot further.  They started processing the food to break it down and add a bunch of "stuff" to it, and then they build it back up so that it will feed a lot more people.  They also used their science to change even the seeds used to grow food so that one seed would produce a lot more plants.  Little did the world realize that God was soon being taken out of everyone's kitchen.  People were eating foods that were developed in labs and soon people started getting sick.  People were suffering with awful diseases and illnesses with many losing their lives.  People started praying to God for a cure and to help with their families.  A wonderful thing started happening.  A "Real Food" movement started to take place in the world.  People were getting back to nature and all that He provides.  People even started homesteading and farming more; some even in the cities.  There still aren't as many farmers in the world as their used to be, but God has shined his blessings down on us and people are more aware of what they put into and onto their bodies.  It's a beautiful thing to see that my children get to be such a big part of watching the world bring God back into their kitchens.  The End

Lunch Box Treats

It's Back-to-School time again!  I've been getting a lot of questions as to what to put in those lunch boxes in a pinch.  Easy enough!  I thought I would include a bit about what we have found to put in A's lunch box on those busy mornings.  We also enjoy these packable treats for soccer weekends because truth be told, when you're at a soccer tournament out-of-town or often enough out-of-state; it's not easy when you have food allergies.  I always pack up a cooler to take with us because there's not too many food-safe restaurant options that you can just grab and go..

www.vansfoods.com/our-products-crackers  These crackers make a great snack-time option.

www.mediterraneansnackfoods.com  They carry the tapaz2go which are a hummus and lentil crackers combo.  These are great for an easy lunch at school or between soccer games.  Hummus gives them the protein and good fat they need to help keep kiddos and grown ups full with some energy.

www.gogosqueez.com  My A loves the apple mango applesauce.  These are super packable and user friendly.

www.glutino.com  We cannot have all of glutino's options but have discovered a few that we really enjoy.  My A gets to take an afternoon snack as a part of her health plan at school.  The cereal bars or pop tart's are a great option for that.  She really enjoys anything with blueberry or apple.

www.enjoylifefoods.com  This brand is top 8 allergen free and has expanded so much just in the past year.  I always keep a few of their chocolate bars on hand at home.  Always!  You never know when Little Judy is going to have cupcakes to share.  Also, why wouldn't you want to celebrate that team win?  They also have out some new decadent bars that I can't wait to order.

www.gopicnic.com  These are our lunchables.  I do the subscribe & save option from Amazon and have them automatically delivered every 3 months.  My daughter can only have one version and I don't want her to get burnt out on them because of how easy they are for us.  Lots of options being added and I always go through and check ingredients for the moment we can add to our sunbutter & crackers.

www.chobanichampions.com  I place the tubes in the freezer.  For summer they are the best popsicles ever.  For the lunch box they work as an ice pack as they thaw enough for her to enjoy at lunch time.  They also have new chobani bites that are a sweet treat.  Yogurt is great!  I love to make it at home using our goat milk and these chobani options make it great for when we run out.

These are a few of the options we use to pack her lunch with.  We also use these to take on vacations, hikes, and her soccer tournaments.  She is a young competitive player who plays on multiple teams which means that large sections of our year are spent travelling.  I enjoy our farm life immensely but I also enjoy being a soccer mom to my daughter and a baseball mom to my son.  Now is the beginning of fall!  So go ahead and get those coolers ready all of you football, baseball, soccer, golf, and swim moms!

Honey Mustard Pasta with Turkey Meatballs

School has officially started for the Hill Family! We are starting to get a routine down and I'm getting my freezer, fridge, and pantry stocked up. We have discovered lots of new lunch box finds lately that I'm looking forward to sharing with you. Also, don't forget to stock up on those healthy dinners!  I've got a great pasta recipe to share with you. Enjoy it with a quickly made side salad and you've got a healthy and filling start-back to school celebration dinner! 

Turkey Meatballs

1lb ground turkey

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbs garlic powder

1/2 tsp gr mustard

1 tbs herbs de Provence

Get your hands dirty and mix well and shape into golf ball sized meatballs. Brown both sides in skillet and then place on cookie sheet in oven on warm setting to finish through. This will help keep your turkey from becoming dry. Also, I have been known to add a little oil or bacon grease to my skillet. 

1 box brown rice pasta or your favorite prepared using directions on box. 

To Pan Drippings:

1 13.4 oz box organic cannellini beans with liquid. 

2 heaping tbs French Dijon style mustard. 

1 tbs raw honey. 

Stir well and use salt and pepper to taste. 

Add drained pasta to sauce and coat pasta with saucey-goodness. Add meatballs and salad plus a little vino for the grown ups!  Enjoy!

Lots of Changes....

I know that it's been a while and even now I feel it's too soon to be back at it. We suddenly and very unexpectedly lost my stepfather a little more than a week ago. He had been a father to my brother and I for more than 20 years and I ache that he's gone. We've been concentrating on taking care of my Mother and making sure she's getting established back here in Kentucky as they were in the process of moving back here from Mississippi. Needless to say, there hasn't been a whole lot of cooking going on at my house. Thank goodness for my Husband or I doubt anyone would have ate, Lol. I do realize now why people bring food when someone passes away; because the last thing I have wanted to do is cook. However, for those of us that have food allergy families- we don't have a choice. I am super grateful to my good friend Hilary for bringing lots of fruit to the funeral home for the kids to snack on. It was definitely appreciated. 

And now a week later I am sending my kiddos off to start their new school year. They are finally in the same school again which will make pick up and drop off much easier!  Meetings with the principal and school nurse have been had. Her microwave has been placed in appropriate classroom. And epi pen and new health plan has been signed, sealed, and delivered. Now that I feel like I can start to take a deep breath again, I know I need to get back into the kitchen!  I am super thankful that I have planned ahead to allow for easy, filling breakfasts by making up batches of waffles, sausage, and bacon. It makes school mornings so much easier.  Now to start preparing as many freezer meals as possible! Menu planning coming soon! 

Look at those two big kiddos! I'm one proud momma for sure. Notice her purse?  She eats lunch at school at 10:47. No really!! Therefore we have the perfect size purse to carry her afternoon snack as a part of her health plan. Today she's carrying a Glutino brand Blueberry Cereal Bar. I can't wait to hear all about their first day!  

A Little Effort Provides....

As some of you may know...my husband is a man of many talents and we have been adding on and remodeling our home for quite a while now. We are doing this ourselves with me being the supervisor/design expert and Jason being the manual labor. Anywho, we are almost finished! How blessed to have built our home ourselves and for our children to be able to say "My Dad built those cabinets, made that trim. " Truly blessed are we. What's even better? Zero house payment my friends!

In my kitchen you will find a shelf above and to the right of our stove. That shelf is full of extracts. I have vanilla extracts, orange extracts, lemon, cinnamon, and even one that is a combination of vanilla and cinnamon that smells and tastes an awful lot like a certain "Hot Damn" liqueur. No, really. I made for my holiday cooking and my husband even drank a bit to be sure of his assessment. Not a proud moment of mine, Lol. Homemade extracts are super easy to make and you can get as creative as you want. For instance, you may have noticed that in my previous shortcake recipe I used lemon extract. I have 2 different ones. 

Lemon Extract 

1 lemon peel with pith removed as much as possible (the white part between peel and fruit) 

Jam jar with lid

Alcohol of choice - I have vodka in one and sambuca in the other. 

To your jam jar add your lemon peel and then pour your alcohol in - covering peel. Place lid on jar and place in a dark, undisturbed location (for me it's the corner in the bottom of my pantry, I've even been known to use an empty tater box). Shake jar once a week for at least 6 weeks, and of course the longer it sits, the better the flavor.

I often start making these at the end of October to use as Christmas gifts. 

My list of extracts:

Lemon-Vodka

Lemon-Sambuca

Orange-Vodka

Orange-Bourbon

Vanilla-Bourbon

Vanilla-Vodka

Vanilla-Cinnamon-Vodka

Cinnamon-Bourbon

For the cinnamon, I use cinnamon sticks. Vodka is the most common alcohol used and what is used for your "grocery store" extracts. Go ahead and try some of these or make up your own. I'd love to hear what you end up with!

Summertime Blessings

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Our family has been blessed with the bounty from our gardens. We try to live as sustainably as possible by growing much of our own fruits and vegetables. We gather eggs from our own chickens and have even been known to put a rooster or two to use. We are able to produce our own dairy products by using milk from our goats. We also have the noise of guinea fowl running rampant throughout eating the insects to help keep us organic.  Although my husband and I didn't initially seek out this lifestyle, we are truly grateful for all we have been blessed with. We turned our family over to God and have been blessed with the means and knowledge to help provide for ourselves. I tend to look at my recipes as a lot of semi-homemade meals. As a busy mom I like to use a lot of our farm fresh options combined with the help of items made easily accessible by the grocery stores.  Such as with the following shortcake recipe made semi- with the use of an allergy-friendly baking mix and homemade with our farm fresh eggs, blackberries, and my homemade extracts. Please enjoy!

Blackberry Shortcake

1 qt blackberries

1/3 cup sugar 

Combine and set aside. 

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/3 cups GFree Bisquick

1/3 cup coconut oil

Use a fork or pastry blender to combine ingredients until coconut oil has formed dry ingredients into pea-sized granules. 

3/4 cups coconut milk

3 eggs beaten

1 tsp of my lemon extract 

Stir wet ingredients into dry until dough is just formed; it will be lumpy. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheet and place in 425 degree preheated convection oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. 

Recipe will make 6-8 shortcakes depending on size. 

It's Zucchini Time!

The best and worst part of being a semi-sustainable, organic food family is growing and putting away your harvest. It is time consuming and you never want to do too much of the same thing. Our family is blessed to have an orchard, spring garden, summer garden, and fall garden. Although we haven't planted our fall garden yet, it will be where the spring garden was. I have now finished digging potatoes and onions up, cutting greens, and pulling beets. They have all been put away for later use. Currently, our summer garden is finally starting to produce. I was so excited to pick the 1st zucchini. The hard part now is figuring out what looks to be a bumper crop. To start things off I decided to do a different take on zucchini bread by turning it into a waffle. These will be great for breakfast or as the 'bread' for sandwiches.

Zucchini Bread Waffles

2 cups AP Flour

1tsp Xantham Gum

1tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp salt

Mix Dry ingredients well to be sure Xantham gum is well-incorporated. 

2 cups Coconut Milk

3 eggs

2 tbs Honey

2 tbs Coconut Oil in its liquid form

Mix well and combine with dry ingredients. 

Fold in 1 shredded large zucchini and 1 can of crushed pineapple drained with juice reserved. 

Make waffles according to the directions for use on your machine. 

**with reserved pineapple juice I like to reduce it down on the stove top by about half and add a little honey or agave to thicken for use as a syrup. Enjoy!

Who Needs Flour?

It's the beginning of July which means school days are only a month away!  Whatever happened to school starting the first of September and ending the end of May?  Oh how I miss those days...

Now is the time that I have to start preparing for those busy school days. If not, I will be a basket case by the end of July. I like to plan ahead and have my freezer ready for those busy mornings. One thing my daughter loves to take for lunch is chicken nuggets. I wanted to make sure they maintain a healthy option and I also wanted to experiment a bit. The breading I came up with is absolutely wonderful and I hope you enjoy!

Flour Free Chicken Nuggets

Cut up an organic, free range chicken into bite size pieces. 

To a food processor combine potato chips, raw pumpkin seeds, and toasted sunflower seeds

I like to add the jalapeño kettle chips or regular wavy lays..

Place chicken in large Tupperware(ish) container, pour breading on top, and shake until chicken is covered. Breading will be a bit thick so shake really well! Place on a cooling rack in top of baking sheet to prevent soggy nuggets and bake @ 350 degree convection for 35-45 minutes depending on thickness of chicken. Enjoy!

Meatball Mayhem...

Don't you just love Meatballs?  I mean, seriously, how creative are they....  Asian, Southwestern, Italian..you name it!  Not too mention the variety of meats you can use for your meatballs; ground turkey, chicken, pork, beef, venison, lamb, and even salmon.  I have been in a meatball making mood (say that 3 times fast, Lol) in our kitchen.  They freeze so well and are so flexible as being anything from appetizers, lunch, or dinner.  I love making up a large batch of meatballs and storing them in the freezer for a rainy or super busy day.  I can serve them on an Udi's hot dog bun for a sandwich, toss into a fresh salad, serve over rice, or the quintessential pasta..  The other day, I surprised my daughter by making an asian-style sandwich for her lunch box, topped with a quick asian salad.  It looked so good that my son wanted one as well.

Asian-Style Meatballs
I used 1 lb of organic ground turkey
1 healthy tbs of my garlic-ginger paste (recipe idea I got from Aarti's Party on Food Network)
3 dashes or to taste of Try Me Tiger Sauce (available at WalMart)
1 egg
1/4 cup Glutino Bread Crumbs
2 dashes or to taste of Coconut Secret Soy-Free Soy Sauce
1 green onion minced
Millet flour - as needed to make mixture dry enough to handle...

Place all ingredients in a large bowl, remove rings, push up sleeves, and get to mixing with those hands!  When mixture is just combined, add Millet flour as needed to allow mixture to be dry enough to roll into the ball size of your choice.  I place all on a platter and put in refrigerator at least 20 minutes to firm-up.  To my large skillet I drizzle my roasted garlic oil and turn to medium heat.  When skillet is hot, I add my meatballs.  Brown on both sides, turn skillet to low heat (almost off), and cover with lid.  Let the meatballs finish their cooking process by steaming to maintain their tenderness.  They steam for 10-15 minutes or so, and then you're ready to serve however you would like.  I used my Udi's hot dog buns for a sandwich, topped with a quick asian slaw of daikon, carrots, cilantro, a touch of sesame oil, fresh sesame seeds, and a little rice wine vinegar.  Toss really well and serve on top.

I also love experimenting with different sausages to make meatballs.  There are a lot of allergy-friendly options out there, you just gotta search for them!  How about a jalapeno cheddar chicken sausage for southwestern style meatballs served with rice and black beans?  Or a greek-style lamb meatball tossed into your favorite greek salad; the family really enjoys this.  I'm getting them to eat salad for dinner and the meatballs add a bit of fun and fullness to their meal.

Farm to Lunch Table... Lunch Options

I'm always getting asked about what our daughter takes to school for lunch, so I thought I would share some of our favorites..

What she ALWAYS has in her Lunchbox...
yogurt (always a healthy option, especially for sensitive tummies)
fruit (bananas, cuties, blueberries, apples...she always has 1 or 2 of these..)
fresh veggies (cherry/grape tomatoes, celery, bell pepper slices..these are great with a dip or hummus.)

What she SOMETIMES has in her Lunchbox...
hummus (there are a lot of premade allergy-friendly varieties or it's just as simple to make your own..)
suntella (my recipe to come....  a homemade version using sunflower seed butter)
chicken ( I change it up by making a batch of nuggets and also grill chicken legs, this way she's getting options.)
pizza (either udi's crust or homemade... I'll make a buffalo chix or veggie pizza every couple of weeks or so..)
baba ganoush (it's a roasted eggplant dip... I buy premade at Whole Foods and also make. Lots of FLAVOR
go picnic (an allergy-friendly lunchable..LOVE these, just wish there were more to choose from...)
LEFTOVERS...(if we have taco night, I automatically set aside 2 shells for her to make for school.  Leftover fried rice is a winner as well!)


Our elementary school is WONDERFUL about allowing us to have a microwave for her use only.  They understand that she can't just bring a ham sandwich and a bag of chips to school (as if I'd let her...)!  My son is 2 years older and in Middle School, I love his responses when I ask him what he had for lunch.  He often says he didn't eat any vegetables because they looked as if they came out of a can.  He cracks me up!  It's amazing at what kids get used to....   I am so lucky to have kiddos that look forward to what we're bringing to the table, literally.  They have grown up working in gardens, milking our goats (yes, really), and gathering eggs in the evening.  I am blessed to be able to provide them with a true farm to table lifestyle....

It's a Contest....

Come on over to Facebook and "Like" my FB Page..Kentucky Mom Cooking Allergy Free.

I want to see just how many followers I can get...  The person who sends me the most followers will receive a free batch of allergy-friendly goodies...AND I SHIP!  Come on over and check it out....

I can't wait to see how this turns out...Deadline is this Friday the 16th!

Feeling Lucky....

It's almost St. Patrick's Day!  This day was always celebrated on my Father's side of the family as our name is O'Donnell.  My grandfather was a "Southie" growing up in Boston where his parents immigrated from Ireland to.  He joined the Air Force out of school and ended up meeting my Grandmother when he was transferred to a base in her hometown.  He brought all of his traditions into the family as well.  My Grandmother always prepares her infamous corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots, so yummy!  I am carrying on a bit of that tradition in my own household, but with my spin on it in the form of cabbage rolls...

St. Patty's Day Cabbage Rolls with Beer Cheese Sauce

1 Head of Cabbage

Corned Beef from the Deli cut thick (1 lb)

Shredded Red Potatoes (4-5)

Shredded Carrots (2 medium)

1 small onion

1 small green pepper

1 good size stalk of celery

salt and pepper to taste

Gluten Free Beer (1 bottle)

Favorite Irish Cheddar

Corn Starch (4-5 tbs)

Butter (4 tbs)

To a food processor combine onion, green pepper, and celery.  Place in skillet on medium and saute until transparent.  When mixture is cooled; add shredded potatoes, carrots, and chop corned beef to desired size. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Clean head of cabbage and carefully remove leaves to allow for maximum usage.  When leaves are seperated, add desired amount of filling and wrap.  You can wrap burrito style easiest; folding long side first, closing ends next, and continue until wrapped tight.  Place seam-side down in large casserole dish.  In saucepan-melt butter and corn starch one tablespoon at a time and whisking until a roux is made.  Pour in 1/2 bottle of your favorite gluten free ale continuing to stir.  Shred your favorite Irish Cheddar into sauce (about 2 cups) continuing to mix until cheese is melted.  You may have to use the rest of the gluten free ale to thin out sauce as needed.  Don't forget the salt and pepper to taste!  Pour Sauce over cabbage rolls in casserole dish, place in pre-heated oven at 325-350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Enjoy!

It's Been Awhile....

Hello friends!  It has truly been awhile since you have heard from me.  I have been under the weather for quite some time and am currently recovering from a super strong sinus infection that went to my teeth.  yes, really.  Unfortunately, Kentucky decided to skip winter altogether and move ahead through a quick spring and starting into summer.  Ahhh, Kentucky weather! Note the sarcasm.  Anyway, I have been working on my book and quite a few new recipes.  If you don't already, I encourage you to like my Facebook page "Kentucky Mom Cooking Allergy Free".  It has a lot of great info on it!  I am leaving you now with an excerpt from my upcoming book...  Feedback appreciated!  Thanks so much!

“Mrs. Hill?  This is the pediatrician’s office.  Your daughters’ blood work came back with results of multiple food allergies.  We need you to come in right away for us to test her for Celiac’s Disease, and we need to make an appointment with an allergist.  Mrs. Hill, are you still there?”

That telephone call changed our lives.  I remember hanging up and calling my husband to tell him the news.  We sat together on the phone and cried; in part because we finally had an answer and also because of the answer.  It was mid-July 2010 and we knew our lives would never be the same.  The lab results for the Celiac’s Disease were negative, and she tested positive for allergies to wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts.  We had no idea what to feed her.  For days and days we went to the store each day to provide food in small quantities.  We ate grilled chicken and steak with rice and fresh vegetables.  The dinners were healthy and good, but they were also becoming boring.  After three days of being away from her food allergies, we saw a dramatic change in our daughter.  That change motivated us to realize the positive outcomes of the restricted diet.  Two weeks after that initial phone call; I purged our kitchen.  I gave away what I could and threw away the rest.  We had decided, as a family, to make this change together.  There would not be any segregated meals in our home.  The chance for contamination was too great.  We had agreed the only food that would be staying was the pizza rolls our son and his friends enjoyed.  Our first trip grocery shopping was daunting yet liberating.  Our journey to reach this place in our lives had been long and frustrating.  Finally having an answer was a blessing, but to the unprepared also felt like a curse.  That first trip lasted hours and I remember becoming teary only once.  We kept those first trips pretty simple with lots of rice, rice pastas, and beans.  Anything we could find ready-made was great; especially for lunch.  We were able to provide her classroom with a microwave for her use only.  She took lots of allergy-friendly frozen dinners in the beginning as I was not confident in my cooking skills.  I explained to people that it felt as if I had had a stroke and was having to learn how to re-do everything.  I had prided myself on being able to prepare organic, home-cooked meals with fresh pastas and desserts.  All of a sudden everything I had learned was obsolete.

Healthy and Comforting Meals...

When I think of comfort food I think of Macaroni and Cheese, Meatloaf, or Giant Stuffed Green Peppers.  I'm also reminded of the calorie and fat content, and how it's not exactly of any health benefit to my family; or is it?  Has anyone else noticed all of the recipes and/or pictures of food shown on people's Facebook updates?  It's always..this is what I'm cooking, this is what our dinner looks like, and wouldn't this be a treat?  I've been guilty of it myself in the past.  What really made them stick out to me was when they are also listing how they're going to go exercise or how they need to start.  Seriously?  Props to you for getting off your booties and doing some exercise; just realize that going home and eating homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac 'n cheese, and cheesecake isn't going to benefit your exercise regimen.  I have started the new year with a commitment to yoga three times a week and I love it.  I haven't really seen a "change" in my body, but I have certainly noticed how much stronger I feel.  I sleep better and just generally feel better minus the sinus infection I am currently fighting.  There are some great yoga instructors who have made me feel super comfortable and are ready to assist with the "correct" way of the poses.  Hey, I'm trying.  I realized that there was no way I could be all about exercising and feeling great with my family and go home and cook a humongous calorie-loaded meal.  Yes, I'm a proud southern woman who loves her homestyle meals; but I have three other people looking to me to also set an example for a healthy lifestyle.  I decided that I could still make those down-home meals, but I could also make them healthier.  Here's the first recipe with more to come....

Crock-Pot Stuffed Green Peppers

4 large bell peppers with top and insides removed.
2 1/2 lbs of ground turkey
1 medium carrot or parsnip
1 small onion
2 small pieces of bread slightly stale (I used 2 slices of Udi's)
1 tbs salt
1 tbs pepper
1 tbs tarragon
1 can crushed tomatoes

The night before...  to food processor I combined the parsnip or carrot, onion, and bread; processed together to form binding ingredients.  Combined with ground turkey, salt, pepper, and tarragon.  Load inside the green peppers and place in fridge till morning.  The next morning; place peppers inside crock pot and pour can of crushed tomatoes over top.  Turn crock pot on warm or low setting and you'll come home to that great homemade comforting meal without all the work and fat.
Unless it's a holiday or I'm entertaining I don't make super large dinners and I've discovered that if the only sweets/desserts that we have are the ones I make... no one is consistently eating sweets.  There's nothing better than coming home to a comforting homemade meal without a ton of fuss; just fix a great side salad!

Do You Waffle?

Isn't it great when you find that one recipe that you know by heart and can manipulate to suit your needs no matter how sweet or savory you want to go?  That recipe for me is in the form of waffles.  Maybe it's because I have two active kiddos, but waffles are great vessel for me.  I can make them sweet or savory; they can be served breakfast, lunch, or dinner; and they can be eaten by themselves or as a sandwich.  They are also a great way to get plenty of protein, energy carbs, fiber, fruit, veggies, and whatever else your body may be needing.  I have been known to add  1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice to my waffle batter to use as sandwiches.  Last night I added lemon zest and juice from half a lemon along with 1/4 cup poppyseeds for a version of waffles; top with yogurt and a drizzle of honey this morning for an energy packed breakfast.  Do you remember my post-Thanksgiving post?  I added left-over smoked turkey and dressing and made a cranberry maple syrup; I get hungry just thinking about it.  Sure, everyone knows to add your favorite fruits or nuts (if non-allergic); but have you ever tried adding a little cardamom along with those blueberries?  They won't disappoint.  For a sweet treat try adding 1 cup melted chocolate chips (Enjoy Life Brand at my house) and top with your favorite berries; it's make a great happy birthday treat in the morning!  You'd be amazed at what your imagination will come up with by thinking outside the box a little bit.  We top our morning waffles with some yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, and I always add fresh berries when available.  Lemon Poppyseed waffles with fresh blueberries or mulberries can't be beat!  Go ahead and try one or all of these recipes and let your imagination take off from there.  Don't let plain old blueberry waffles or Fried chicken and waffles rule your recipes....

Here's my basic waffle recipe:

2 cups of your favorite A.P. allergy-friendly flour
1 1/2 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
*Mix dry ingredients well to make sure xantham gum is distributed well.
Add 4 tbs melted butter
3 eggs
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tbs honey.

Follow directions on your waffle maker; This recipe makes 12-14 waffles for my cheapie WM.  I place in freezer bag and heat-up as needed for those busy school and/or soccer mornings!