Butterscotch Haystacks

• 2 cups (4 oz) shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp butterscotch chips
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and set aside for now.

On stove top, melt butterscotch chips, add salt & coconut. Mix well. 

Using a small teaspoon or candy scoop, drop small, compact spoonfuls of the candy onto the prepared baking sheet.

After all of the haystacks have been formed, melt the chocolate chips. Then spoon the melted chocolate into a small Ziploc bag. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag, and drizzle the haystacks with melted chocolate.

Refrigerate to set the butterscotch and chocolate, at least 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Balls ["Buck Eyes"]

2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup room temp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate coating:

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 TBSP coconut oil


Mix first 4 ingredients together.   Form into 1 inch balls, place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.  Place in the freezer for at least half an hour.

Heat chocolate chips and coconut oil on the stove over med-low heat.  Once melted, dip peanut butter balls into the chocolate.  Place them back on the wax paper and in teh fridge or freezer to firm up. 

Granny's Fudge

3 cups semi-sweet (or milk chocolate) chocolate chips
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
dash of salt
1 and a half teaspoon vanilla extract
nuts [if desired]

In a saucepan over low heat melt the chips, milk, and salt together.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and nuts (if desired).

Spread evenly into a wax paper covered pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn onto cutting board. Remove wax paper and cut into squares. Store covered in refrigerator.

[This works great as white chocolate pecan fudge too - just sub white chocolate chips for the semi-sweet ones] 

Simple Stupid Spanish Rice

2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 can of tomatoes, pureed in blender [or 1 can of tomato sauce]
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups of rice
4 cups of chicken stock

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent.    Add rice and toast for a couple of minutes.   Add pureed tomatoes, garlic powder, salt, and chicken stock.   Bring to a boil, stir, cover, and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. 

Asian Chicken Breast Nuggets

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup honey
2 TBSP gluten free Tamari sauce [or soy sauce if gluten works for you]
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
salt to taste

Cut chicken breasts into nuggets or strips and place in a large pot.   Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.   Cook on medium heat until sauce reduces to a glaze [30-40 minutes or so].

Squash and Onion Casserole

1 lb Squash sliced
1 Onion, diced
1 tsp butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Parmesan Cheese

Saute the squash and onions in butter until soft. Then add eggs, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder [all spices to your taste]. Mix it all up and put in a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Paleo Cookie Bites

After recently discovering that I'm allergic to grains [especially wheat], I've had to start re-learning to cook. I'm now eating a "Paleo" diet, which has been extremely good for my health.

But, alas, I'm a baker at heart, so it has been interesting. No more home made breads, muffins, cookies, etc.... my kids have been despondent. LOL!

I'm trying to come up with treats I can still make that we can all eat.

Here is a sweet treat that I made for my kids today. They loved it just as much as my home made chocolate chip cookies, and it was much better for them:

2/3 cup walnuts
2/3 cup almonds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup honey [or agave nectar if you want vegan]

Process the walnuts and almonds in the food processor till they are ground.
Place the ground nuts in a mixing bowl.
Add cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and honey.
Mix well and then form into tablespoon sized balls.

I added 1/4 cup of mini-chocolate chips to this for my kids and they loved it. They were really yummy with or without the chocolate.