The Kitchen

Udi’s Gluten Free Taste Test

January 13, 2012 · The Kitchen · 2 comments

Let me preface by saying that I had received an assortment of Udi’s Gluten Free goods before deciding to go Paleo. So I didn’t “cheat”, but I still have 11 more months to get right. I’ve spoken a bit about Jayden’s food sensitivities; wheat being one of them. He loves bread and it’s been a struggle trying to keep him from eating it. I purchased a gluten free tapioca bread as an alternative, but he refused to eat it due to its spongy texture and flavor. I don’t blame him. It was pretty bad. Just when I had given up ...

13 Jan

Aquaovo Thermo-O Showcase at She {hearts} It

November 28, 2011 · The Kitchen · 5 comments

I just got a new glass Therm-O. I love it and thought I’d share. This is also a poor excuse for a post. I’ve been busy in my own little world, so I have to make it look like I still care about this space. I have what feels like tons to get caught up on and I’m not beating myself up for it this time around. I will probably go hard while traveling this week. Anywho, I’m giving away a $25 gift certificate to ShoptobeGreen.com on She {hearts} It. Check it out! P.S. Hope your Thanksgiving festivities were lovely!

28 Nov

Dominick’s iPhone App {$50 Dominick’s/Safeway Giveaway}

November 28, 2011 · Chicagoland · 3 comments

Lots of grocery stores are getting smart, developing apps to better their customers’ shopping experience. Dominick’s is among many to launch a an app for iPhone! With the free app, customers can build customizable shopping lists, view weekly local ads, load savings on the go with just for U coupons and deals. Have you tried the Dominick’s app? What are your thoughts? Dominick’s is offering the first 100,000 people to download the Dominick’s app a free Ragu pasta sauce (valid through 12/15/11)! And I’m offering a $50 Dominick’s gift card to one lucky reader. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below! ...

28 Nov

Thanksgiving Fixin’s Under $40

November 23, 2011 · The Kitchen · leave a comment

Shopping for Thanksgiving is fairly simple in our household. I only cook enough for Greg, Jayden, and I and I pack it up and freeze to have after we return from visiting family for a few days. We usually have most of the ingredients already since I cook from scratch. No need for stuffing mixes, canned goods (just pumpkin since I couldn’t find whole pumpkin), etc. So shopping for Thanksgiving is simple. This year, I made Turkey (which practically melted off the bone), yams, smothered cabbage, chicken pot pie (in place of dressing), and pumpkin cheesecake. I’ll make the potato ...

23 Nov

Gluten-free Vanilla Nutmeg Cupcakes for Halloween and Fall

October 26, 2011 · The Kitchen · 3 comments

A closeup of my creative confections. Earlier this month, Wilton sent me a big ol’ box of goodies to create some treats for Halloween and Fall. I received supplies to make cookies and cupcakes and well, the cookies were a #fail and I tried twice! Ah the joys of baking gluten-free. The cookies themselves were some of the chewiest and yummiest cookies EVAR, but I couldn’t get them to hold their shapes. These are supposed to be pumpkins, candy corn, Frankenstein heads, and cats. Yea. Recipe for these coming soon. Tired of fighting with the cookies, I decided to bake ...

26 Oct

Mexican Rice and Bean Salad

October 4, 2011 · The Kitchen · 4 comments

Last week, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I decided to brush up on my Mexican dishes. I experimented with guacamole, tortilla stew (which I turned into a bean soup), rice and bean salad, and allergy free tortillas (not as tasty as corn tortilla *sigh*). Before I go posting all of the recipes, I need to perfect them first, so today, I’ll just share the rice and bean salad recipe since it was fail-proof and it photographed really well :). Before I get into the recipe, I’d like to share a little “Did you know?” about my family. My uncle’s ...

4 Oct

SweeTango Apples: The Best I’ve Ever Had & A Muffin Recipe

September 28, 2011 · The Kitchen · 8 comments

While I generally love anything with apples; applesauce, apple pie, apple jelly, apple whatever, I don’t eat the fruit (apples) as often as I’d like. I prefer an apple that is both equally sweet and tangy and those are hard come by. The apples I have eaten have either lacked sweetness or tanginess. Weeell, I was offered the opportunity to try SweeTango, a new variety of apples promising to be oh-so-delicious. I figured if I didn’t want to eat them as is, I’d just bake with them. The latter did not happen. I received a shipment of SweeTango apples (overnighted, first ...

28 Sep

Slow Cooker Mixed Bean & Italian Sausage Soup

September 27, 2011 · The Kitchen · 7 comments

Italian sausage during grilling season is one of my weaknesses. The flavor of the sausage combined with a well done grilled taste, hint of BBQ sauce of a bun is enough for me. So when asked to try Johnsonville’s new Brat and Italian Sausage Burgers, I was super excited. Italian sausage in the form of a hamburger patty? Heck yeah. So I thought. I really wanted to like the Brat Burgers, but I have texture issues. I have a hard time biting into anything that mimics a scrambled egg patty, no matter how delicious the flavor is. The burgers were ...

27 Sep

Grilled Spinach Veggie Pizza

August 30, 2011 · The Kitchen · 8 comments

One thing I’ve been meaning to do this summer is cook a pizza out on the grill. Well, Sunday night I decided to do so and it came out sooo yummy and beautiful! It’s been a while since I’ve made homemade pizza and I have been reminded of its deliciousness! Homemade pizza is so simple to make although I feel bouts of laziness set in when it comes to making the dough. So besides the dough, my ingredients include a regular pasta sauce (too lazy to make my own), minced garlic, green pepper, red onion, shredded mozzarella cheese, and a ...

30 Aug