Avocado Salsa

Avocado, green onion, cherry tomatoes, orange pepper, garlic, lime juice and sweet corn. This would have been even better with some fresh cilantro!

Grilled Steak, Green Onions and Beets w/ Gorgonzola Risotto and Sweet Corn

The Green Onions were grilled in a foil pack with EVOO, S&P and Garlic.....delish!

The beets were salted, grilled and topped with Gorgonzola.

The sweet corn was surprisingly delicious and sweet for this time of year in Ohio 

(was most likely imported).

The Risotto was the star.  Mushrooms, Red and Yellow Peppers, and finished with Gorgonzola Cheese and fresh green onions.  YUM! 

Kick Your Ass Margarita

Oler's margaritas in Findlay, OH are and will always be my favorite! 

These were so close to Oler's that I just kept drinking and drinking....OOPS! :)

3 parts top shelf silver Tequila

2 parts Cointreau

1 part lime juice

1 part simple syrup

Served over LOTS of ice! 

Venison Chop Carnitas

Eating venison makes me feel so healthy.  

These were unbelievably delicious and fresh! 

Pesto Salmon, Mushrooms and Rotini

I used canned salmon.  I was surprised that I liked this! 

Kitchen Spring Cleaning

Stuck at home with a sick kiddo, I got into the spring cleaning mood.  I rearranged and did a little more decorating.  I have successfully doubled my available counter space.  I will be all set if I can find some time to spend in this room! :) 

Easy Cleaning for Fruits and Veggies

- Water, 1 Cup Vinegar, Soak and Rinse - 

This is supposed to remove chemical, preservative coatings and extend the life of your produce.  

Pork Tenderloin, Risotto Pancake and Savory French Toast Breakfast

Changing it up a bit...

Because of a lack of time in my crazy busy life and because I miss blogging about my kitchen fun, I am going to start posting less detailed descriptions of my meals...pictures, components and ingredients mostly.  I'm not sure that anyone even reads this any more so it will be used more as a photo gallery for my own future reference.

More from the gluten free test kitchen...

Mushrooms, garlic and shallots sauteed in a little EVOO then simmered in some chicken broth to make a light sauce tossed with the gluten free noodles.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and parsley. 

Homemade cheese and bacon pizza.  The crust is from a baking mix made by Pamela (I don't know her :)  This particular mix can be used to make many different things.  So far I have tried bagels and pizza crust.  Not too shabby!  We decided we liked it well done and a little crispy!

This is the same Pamela's crust.  This pizza was baby bella mushrooms, red onion and pepperocinis.

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

This was amazing.  Regular french toast will never happen again in my house.  This bread (Canyon Bakehouse Cinnamon Raisin Bread) was a great find to begin with but "frenching" it was one of the best ideas I've ever had.  YUM!!  

Nachos Ole'

Ground round taco meat, cheese, red onion, grape and yellow sweet tomatoes, cilantro and pepperocinis on top of Rice Works Sea Salt Chips.  These emulate a tortilla chip and stand up quite well to melted cheese and meat.  They were delicious nachos. 

The softest, fluffiest pancakes I've ever made thanks to Pamela again.  This pancake mix can be used for different things but pancakes is all that we have tried thus far.  Delicious. 

Sort of unrelated but still containing food product and gluten free.....egg yolks, jojoba oil and EVOO make a great hair conditioning treatment.  Not to mention a great way to gross out your children. :) 

Gluten Free Pasta

Not just ok, so-so or fine....AMAZING!!!

There is no need for gluten in pasta after trying this! I'm hooked!

Dabbling in Gluten-Free Cuisine

After some concerns from a teacher of lack of attention from my daughter in class recently, we have researched and implemented a new vitamin and supplement regimen and started a mostly gluten-free diet. I would like to attribute her lack of interest to the fact that summer is near and 1st grade is getting boring, but none-the-less....it is a widely researched issue and a move to a healthier diet will not hurt anyone.

I have found many delicious snacks that will help satisfy a 7 year old snacky appetite, but have just begun the meal preparation journey!

These little sliders were homemade gluten-free bagel dough made into little buns with turkey burger (using GF bread crumbs and eggs for the glue) and honey spicy-mustard sauce.

Easy enough and far more satisfying than a boring old hamburger!

The GF journey begins...