Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

Two pineapples down--12 to go. :) Last night I made stir-fried chicken with fresh pineapple and green pepper. Cooking the chicken in sesame oil was amazing! I would love to re-make this one over and over.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/77524/stir-fried-chicken-with-pineapple-and-peppers/

Wild Salmon with Naval Orange-Cucumber Salsa

Trying to increase our frequency of meals from the Auto-Immune Paleo cookbook, I found this one in which the salsa tasted a lot like Ceviche. So we topped our salmon with it and then the next night added shrimp to the leftover salsa. The original recipe called for nectarine, but the naval orange was just as delicious. Might have to try it again when nectarines are in season.

http://autoimmune-paleo.com/wild-salmon-with-nectarine-cucumber-salsa/

Garlic Cauliflower Mash

This was a delicious find in the Sprouts circular this month. I served it as a side-dish with the Cranberry Chicken. I used the potato masher this time, but I think I will try to follow the instructions to the letter to see if I can it to come out smooth and creamy. The flavor was great, with the hubby saying "definitely make this one again." :)

https://www.sprouts.com/recipe/details/-/view/11469/garlic-cauliflower-mash

Cranberry-Glazed Chicken

Another wonderful recipe from the Autoimmune Paleo website. The turmeric was the winning ingredient. I served with with mashed cauliflower and salad. Another successful night to our good health. :)

http://autoimmune-paleo.com/cranberry-glazed-chicken/

Pina Colada Bread

Our local grocery store had pineapples 98c each, so the hubby (and his shopping addiction) bought 14! So, last night I looked through "The Best of Colorado" cookbook--a Christmas gift from the hubby a few years ago. I found Pina Colada Bread. I think it was delicious, but definitely needs the glaze to enjoy it. We tried it without the glaze and agreed it wasn't as good. I think I added too much baking powder and/or baking soda as it slightly affected the flavor. Next time I will make a couple of adjustments, but overall it was very good. It was fun to make a Colorado favorite. :)

Cream of Avocado Soup with Crab Meat

So the hubby is wanting to eat healthier--targeting his immune system. When we were shopping in the grocery store, I found a cookbook which is at this website:  www.autoimmune-paleo.com . After reading about it's purpose and recipes, I'm discovering that they are fun (and sometimes weird), healthy recipes even if you don't follow the plan. However, it's also a great way to find out if you have food allergies and health problems related to food over a 30-60 day period. We're not disciplined enough to go that far, but I am already finding I love these recipes, especially involving salmon or avocado since that's what my husband buys a lot of at the store.

For this recipe I actually served it hot by heating up the chicken broth before putting it in the blender. I served 2, maybe 3 people and I would recommend doubling the crab meat. The hubby was still raving about it today and even suggested freezing up batches of it, particularly when there's an avocado sale. :)

http://autoimmune-paleo.com/cream-of-avocado-soup-with-crab-meat/

Oreo Fudge (Easy!)

Christmas goodies having been appearing in my kitchen almost daily...now to blog about it!

To start, and so far my favorite, is oreo fudge or bark, I haven't decided yet; somewhere in between. There are many variations, but this is the easiest 3 ingredient recipe you could make. I used the microwave option, watching it very carefully. Sinfully addictive. :)

http://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com/2014/11/oreo-fudge/

Cake Batter Fudge

My first Christmas candy and it's so fun and yummy not to mention easy!! If you have somewhere you need to be in a couple hours, this one takes 5 minutes to prepare and an hour to chill. This one will be repeated all year round :) It also helps that Safeway has Better Crocker cake mixes for $1 this week :)

http://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/cake-batter-fudge/

here's the link to the other candys I'll be making this Christmas---well at least half of them :)

http://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/50-christmas-candy-recipes/

High Altitude Spritz Cookies

My mother gave me a Pampered Chef cookie press several years ago before we moved to Colorado. I used it once since moving here (before I knew there high altitude adjustments that needed to be made)-that was about 3 years ago. I have since re-gained confidence as a baker thanks to Randi Levin's Baking At High Altitude cookbook. This year, for Christmas, I have been perusing the internet for other high altitude bakers. Specifically wanting to conquer my cookie press skills at 6100 feet, I found a wonderful blog from a baker in Utah. Below is the link to her site.

I will say, I only needed the 2 cups of flour. I used green food coloring to make the trees, red for the ornaments (with green sugar sprinkles) and no dye for snowflakes (sprinkled with blue pareils).

http://highaltitudecooking.blogspot.com/2007/12/classic-spritz-christmas-cookies.html