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.

African Chick Peas and Rice

1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 Serrano chili, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper [less if you don't like heat]
1 can chick peas
1 can of vegetable broth
1/3 cup of rice

Saute onions and both types of peppers in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add tomato, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Add chick peas, vegetable broth, and rice. Simmer for 20 minutes or so until the rice is tender.

[this recipe is based on a delicious dish my friend Erin made for me after I had one of my babies! I tweaked it to make it vegetarian.]

Mexican Cornbread

2 cups Corn Meal Mix **
1/8 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup regular sour cream
1/4 cup oil
2-3 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 can of corn, drained
1 cup shredded cheese [cheddar or mexican blend]

** 2 cups cornmeal mix = 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all purpose flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt if you don't have corn meal mix in your area

Preheat oven to 425 and grease pan.

Mix together, place in pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Ginger Bread Cookies [based on Paula Deen's recipe]

This is Paula Deen's ginger bread cookie recipe with my frosting. We make these every year and it is something my kids look forward to with great anticipation!

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick butter, room temp
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
3 & 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Mix sugar and butter. Add eggs and molasses and mix. Add the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and mix.

If planning to use cookie cutters, refrigerate dough at this point for a couple of hours. [I give my kids a big ball of it w/out refrigeration and let them shape it as they want like tasty play dough - but don't eat it till its cooked because of the eggs!]

Preheat oven to 350.

Shape cookies as desired [roll out and use cookie cutters,or shape by hand].

Bake for 10 minutes or just beginning to brown at edges. Let cool.

Kelly's Simple Butter Cream Icing:

1 stick butter, room temp
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tBSP cream [or more if needed to get consistency I want]
1 tsp vanilla
food coloring if desired

Mix it all together. Then divide it and color it, if desired.

From here, I put it into a sandwich bag, cut off one corner and let the kids decorate their cookies to their heart's content.

Publix Sugar Cookies

This is the recipe off of the Publix sugar bag - I have never found a better recipe so this is our traditional sugar cookie recipe for Christmas!

2 cups self rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temp
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sugar and butter.

Add egg and vanilla, mix well.

Add flour, mix well.

Shape as desired [if you want to roll it out and use cookie cutters, you'll need to chill it for a couple of hours first].

Bake 10-12 minutes till golden.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - Dani Style!

1/2 butter, room temp
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients. Mix well.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

[Thanks to my dear friend Danielle for this recipe!]