Flourless Chocolate Cake (Gluten Free with the option of Dairy Free)

I had the honor of being asked to make a neighbor friend a gluten-free birthday cake for her. I was a little nervous as this was my first g-free cake. I was pleasantly surprised with the results, but then again, ganache makes everything better. ;) I opted for real butter, used semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate cocoa, sugar (rather than honey) and sweetened chocolate almond milk (for the ganache). Really pleased with the results. I didn't really need to change it at all, other than, due to altitude (6400ft), I had to cook it about 10 minutes longer. I got the thumbs up from the neighbor and her family/friends. Thank you Pinterest!

http://www.veggiebalance.com/flourless-double-chocolate-cake/

Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry (Pressure Cooker)

I very loosely followed this recipe. I forgot the ketchup and sesame oil, opted for black pepper rather than red pepper flakes, added orange juice, used arrowroot instead of cornstarch, and added orange cauliflower, carrots, green beans, celery, green onions after browning the chicken. I also added a little bit of chicken broth. I used a rice cooker for the rice. The flavor was incredible! And the sauce thickened up nicely under pressure in 12 minutes. Again, a practically effortless, thumbs up meal!

http://thriftyjinxy.com/easy-pressure-cooker-recipes-honey-sesame-chicken/

Breakfast Casserole (Pressure Cooker)

As I remodel my kitchen, and forgo the stove, I'm getting to know my electric pressure cooker intimately. Yesterday, I finally used the browning feature for the sausage in my breakfast casserole. It was amazing! I added the onions to carmelize, then when it seemed ready, I added the egg mixture and battened down the hatch. I have an 8 quart cooker, so I ended up using a dozen eggs and 3 lbs of sausage (2 bkfst, 1 spicy). Since it was larger than the actual recipe, My cook time ended up being 30 minutes. Since I don't have a trivet yet or an extra bowl to put inside the cooker, my edges were browned. "That's the best part" according to the hubby. :) It was a fun comfort food meal that felt effortless and allowed me to continue working on the remodel. The great thing is that it doesn't heat up the house and only required about 45 minutes of electricity. 

http://www.kitschencat.com/5-ingredient-pressure-cooker-cheesy-egg-bake/

Apple Butter (Crockpot)

A friend of ours up the road "Yellow Transparent" apples for sale so I bought a box. Yellow Transparents don't have a long shelf life, so I had to prepare them right away. I ended up making applesauce, apple butter and apple pie filling. For those who like a tart apple, this one is ranked 10/10. I really enjoyed the flavor, but I feel I need to make people who try it aware of the tartness. Overall fun and easy to make.

http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-apple-butter-93886

Purple Cauliflower Pizza Crust

The hubby bought purple cauliflower so I wanted to do something special. I found a Pinterest recipe for a cauliflower crust with goat cheese added. I topped it with steak cubes, onions and mushrooms. It turned out super yummy but I will probably not add salt to anything to mellow it out. Definitely will be making again...maybe with orange cauliflower next time :)

https://domesticblissreport.wordpress.com/2013/05/25/purple-cauliflower-pizza-crust/amp/

Sausage plait (English Sausage Roll)

I was so excited to have the opportunity to make these! I was invited to ladies tea by our darling neighbor and I've been watching the Great British Baking Show Master Class on Netflix. I was admittedly nervous since the only "pastry" thing I've ever made is a pie crust. I used the link below as a guide, but followed the instructions on the Netflix episode almost to the letter. The only thing that is difficult to find in America is Black Pudding. I think I'll order it on Amazon for the freezer, should I decide I want to create another traditional British treat.  This time, I'm actually posting my own picture rather than from the link. :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sausage_plait_22185

Banana Poke Cake

Once again, I had pudding boxes that were nearing expiration, so I "had" to come up with something. This happened to be banana pudding and I really enjoy poke cakes, so I whipped up this pan of yumminess yesterday. It takes about 4 stages to prepare (with lots of cooling and chilling), so make sure, if you're planning to serve it to a group, that you have plenty of time. Also, a trick to extend the life of this cake is to serve the bananas separately, slicing them for each individual bowl more as a garnish. That way, you don't end up with brown bananas in your cake and it can seem fresh for several days. In this particular case, I crushed animal crackers and vanilla wafers. I had to restrain myself from eating the entire pan. :D

http://www.food.com/recipe/banana-pudding-poke-cake-483403

Beet and Russian Kale with Goat cheese

Let the games begin. Daily, we've been harvesting lettuce for awesome salads. However, today was Russian Kale day. We've had too much, I had to use Pinterest to decide what to do. I actually used 2 different recipes (see previous post). I had beets to use up, so I just chopped and boiled, but kept the skins on. My goat cheese had gotten too soft, so I froze it before crumbling. I absolutely love goat cheese! This is one dish you should not skip/skimp on goat cheese. The russian kale is light and goes well with beets. I recommend preparing this a couple of hours in advance and chilling, however, room temperature was delicious as well. I think if we end up with more russian kale, I will be making this one again. Very easy to prepare. :)

http://www.marthastewart.com/904221/beet-and-kale-salad-goat-cheese

Red Russian Kale with Garlic and Lemon

Let the games begin. Daily, we've been harvesting lettuce for awesome salads. However, today was Russian Kale day. We've had too much, I had to use Pinterest to decide what to do. I actually used 2 different recipes (see next post). Jason loves a similar dish with chards, so I replicated it with Russian Kale. I added mushrooms and red onions as per our usual. It was very nice. Not as pungent as chards. A very tolerable super food. :)

http://salu-salo.com/red-russian-kale-with-garlic-and-lemon/

4th of July Pig Roast Menu

Yesterday was an "Epic" day of celebration with the neighbors. We used one of our York pigs for a Kalua Style Pig roast. Since it was our first time, we can look back at lessons learned, the biggest being a pig that should have been about 100 pounds lighter. She took many more hours to cook than anticipated. Nonetheless, we had a great time full of food, fireworks and fun.

1. White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/macaroni-and-cheddar-cheese-recipe-2131153

2. Macaroni Salad

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/bacon-macaroni-salad?pmcode=IPIDC01T&_cmp=Top1010AM&_ebid=Top1010AM8/14/2016&_mid=108978&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

3. Saffron Rice

http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2011/09/saffron-rice/

4. Carolina Coleslaw

https://www.thespruce.com/carolina-slaw-3053928

5. Baked Beans

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/the-best-baked-beans-ever/

6. Potato Salad

http://www.food.com/recipe/nans-classic-mustard-potato-salad-63017

7. Green Beans

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/southern-green-beans-recipe-1940323

8. Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/vanilla-bean-ice-cream/

9. Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pineapple-upside-down-mini-cakes/0461491a-24a1-4175-a71f-ae43ba0b4db4

10. Red White and Blue Cheesecake Salad

http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2017/05/red-white-and-blue-cheesecake-salad.html

11. Old Glory Berry Pie

http://tiphero.com/old-glory-berry-pie/

12. Red White and Blueberries

http://www.loveambie.com/healthy-easy-patriotic-party-appetizer/