Magic

AHEM!
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please! !
You ! ! !  You . . . are on the brink of experiencing one of the week's world's most astounding magic tricks.  
 Watch closely. . . . and I mean very closely.  

NOW you SEE IT.....

. . .NOW, you DON'T

Let me begin by assuring you that I have NOT spent my few precious summer days indulging in magic camp to be able to bring you this mind-blowing magic trick.  No.  No, this kind of magic is experienced only by the unique combination of a shared back yard, two 5 yr old grandsons, and pots of gold that look like they're really good for stuffing things in. 

I wish I had a picture of the aftermath of this destructive dark magic, but I'll admit I was too frustrated as I stomped across the grass into my neighbors yard to retrieve my precious pots.  Only to find my herbs strewn about and these pots full of leaves and army men and candy wrappers. 

The good news is that I live in a very warm environment, so hopefully these little ones will be growing soon.

LOVE

Jessica

Gluten Free Chex Mix

I am a snacker.  I especially enjoy crunchy, salty snacks.  Most of them are no longer an option with my diet.  Its probably for the best.  But when I found myself craving a bag of Chex Mix, I had an idea.  Why not make my own with the necessary adjustments?  And that is what I did.  


I adapted this recipe from the Original Chex Party Mix  

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 C. square corn cereal
• 4 1/2 C. square rice cereal
• 1 C. raw almonds
• 1 C. GF pretzel type thing
• 6 Tbsp. Smart Balance
• 2 Tbsp. GF tamari
• 1 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (opt.)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 250.  
2. In a large bowl mix the first 4 ingredients.  
3. In a small microwaveable bowl melt the Smart Balance about 30 seconds or until its completely melted then stir in the seasonings.
4. Pour over the cereal mixture and stir it all up until every little piece is coated.
5. Lay it out on a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and bake for 1 hr, stirring every 15 min.
6. Let it dry/cool on a paper towel for about 15 min to avoid any pieces getting soggy.

 

The first time I made this I only did half a batch.  Big mistake, it was all gone the next day.  But it definitely satisfied my salt food craving. 

*Cherise 

Whispering Willows

What do you get when you mix a much needed trip to a beautiful cabin on Cedar Mountain, young minds with wild imaginations, and land for the taking?


Welcome to the land of....

 

Sometimes we all need a little make believe

LOVE 

Jessica

Gnarly Gnocchi

Well, we've taken a bit of a hiatus it seems.  I don't know about Cherise, but I believe my lack of blogability has been due to the end of the school year.  Yes, I did say THE END.  Made it through year 6.  Sometimes I feel like I'm to young to have been working at one place for SIX years. Yikes!  Where did the time go.  But alas, I made it through and am now going to enjoy every bit of summer I can between homework and Benjas.  More on summer later....


Two Peas and Their Pod  has been a new and exciting find for me.  Great photography and great food.  I found this recipe for a crispy gnocchi that I just had to try!  My first experience with gnocchi was at Olive Garden.  I still remember the day, I was having lunch with one of my youth group girls before she left for college and I ordered this delicious chicken that sat atop this hearty potato nugget called gnocchi; the whole thing was bathing in a buttery cream sauce.  Love.  I fell in love with gnocchi that day.....and we lived happily ever after.

Crispy Gnocchi

-Gnocchi [I found mine at Target]
-EVOO [for frying]
-Pesto [store bought or homemade]..... 
I have a sad story about my basil that I'll save for another day...
-Parmesan [for the sprinkling]


1.  Cook Gnocchi according to package directions in salted boiling water and drain completely. 
[don't forget that water + hot oil = hot oil spitting at you = ouch!]
2. Heat EVOO over medium-high heat and place gnocchi in one layer on the skillet.

3.  Let those babies sizzle in that hot oil until they get all crispy and brown on one side. It will take about 3-4 minutes.  Turn over and repeat.

4.  Drain from oil, pat dry with a bit of paper towel and then toss with pesto while the gnocchi are still crispy and hot.  Sprinkle an extra bit of parm on top and then dig in to this delightful dish.

LOVE,
Jessica

Gluten Free Cornbread

I tried out 2 new recipes I found online last week.  There has not been a cool day in months, but I'm sorta obsessed with my crock pot, so I decided to make Southwestern 2 Bean Chicken Soup.  I'm not really supposed to have tomato, but other than that it fits my diet.  Plus I don't really think tomato contributes to my allergies, so whatev.  This recipe was easy and tasty!  I got really hot eating it though.  


And what better compliments soup than cornbread?  But a gluten and sugar free recipe?  Spoonful of Sugar Free to the rescue!  I made this Cast Iron Cornbread without the cast iron skillet.  I don't love them.  And I don't have one.  This of course tastes a little different than regular cornbread, but I hardly missed the sugar.  Definitely will be making it again!

Yummy yummy in my tummy!

   *Cherise

ORGANIZE!!!

I've been desperately wanting to organize my apartment for some time now.  Originally I decided to save it for the 3 weeks David was going to be gone for training, but that got canceled so I didn't get around to it.  And now it almost seems too late since I'll be moving in a month.  It would be stupid to spend money on things that work for this space when I have no idea where I'll be next, but I realized there are some things I could do that should carry over no problem.  I organized our important papers.  That took FOREVER.  The army has so. much. paper.   


I also organized my cupboards.  I bought these little white stand things which are super helpful. I don't have to dig through all my spices and baking junk to find what I want.

Before

After

I also cleaned up our desk.  Put papers where they belonged (I plan on getting a stacky file thing to make sure the desk stays paper free) and organized all of David's computer junk. 

Before.  David used that bag as a chair. Yikes.

After

I hope this cleaning/organizing streak continues!


*Cherise

Leftovers

One of my most favorite things is making pizza on a lovely piece of naan.  I love the versatility. I love the flavors.  I love the quickness.  I love pizza.  I was starving one night and had just ran out of milk [my busy dinner/lunch/breakfast of choice] and was just staring at the fridge trying to figure out what in the world to eat.  I threw together these leftovers and BAM! Green Pizza!

Here's what I found
Green Pizza
1)Whole Wheat Naan
2) Pesto 

[I used store-bought pesto, but soon I'll have my own, thanks to my dear Basil]

3)Green Onion
4) Fiesta flavored Chicken
5) Mozzarella string cheese

[I had planned to put a little fresh avocado on top, but mine ended up being bad...Boo!] 

Throw those things on your pizza, broil it in the oven and enjoy!  The only thing that could have been improved was if I'd fired up plugged in my grill and baked it under some smokin' hickory chips!

Just look at that crispy crust and bubbling mozzarella!

 

LOVE

Jessica