Catching Up

Sorry it has been over two month since I last posted.  Right after I began this blog, we lost our kitchen for about 7 weeks.  In June of 2012, our farm was hit by a tornado (6 weeks after we purchased it) and we needed to repair the floor which was falling due to storm damage.  During these weeks, I had a toaster oven that I borrowed from some wonderful friends (thanks Sarah and Dennis!), toaster, microwave and a crock pot.

Our kitchen first had the floor removed so the floor could be fixed.

One of the walls and the ceiling were also removed and replaced.

Eventually, the flooring, walls,and ceiling were replaced, cabinets reinstalled, and applicance hooked up!

We were both very excited to have a working stove in our house again when everything was reinstalled!

Prior to the construction, I prepared granola, date balls, scones, cookies and bread to have ready in the freezer.  We ate a lot of eggs and sandwiches, but below are some quick recipes that I used to survive those weeks!



Spicy Chicken and Rice
Ingredients:
3-4 Chicken breasts
2 cans diced tomatoes with chiles
2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
3 cups rice
Water

Directions:
Place 3-4 chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot.  Add rice, tomatoes, beans, and salsa.  Add enough water to cover everything (I used about 1 1/2 cups but added 1/2 cup more in the middle of the day).  Cook on high for 6 hours and serve.

**Note: I use the remaining rice mixture for the stuffed peppers recipe below.




Stuffed Green Peppers
I used the left overs from the Spicy Chicken and Rice (recipe above) and added 1 pound of browned hamburger and 1 24-ounce jar of salsa.

I removed the tops and seeds from the insides of the green peppers, softened them in boiling water, and added the beef and rice mixture.

I then placed them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  (I added shredded cheese to my husbands since he's lucky like that!)

I served with GF chips and salsa.




Now that life is a bit normal again, we are able to get back into cooking.  One of my favorite suppers is as close to a Minnesota hot dish as I have found I'm able to enjoy.

Hamburger and Pepperoni Hot Dish
Ingredients:
1 pound of hamburger
1 package of pepperoni
1 green pepper (diced)
1 jar of pasta sauce (I use homemade to avoid the sugar)
1 box of rice elbow noodles

Brown the hamburger.  Precook the noodles.  Add the pepperoni, green pepper, and pasta sauce. to the hamburger.  Place the cooked noodles in a 9x13 pan and pour the hamburger mixutre over the pasta.  Cook in the oven about 20-30 minutes and serve.

Peanut Butter Cookies
2 cups peanut butter (I used sugar free)
2 cups Coconut Flour
2 cups Unsweetned Milk alternative (I used Almond)
1/2 cup Stevia
3/4 cup Beet Sugar
2 Tbsp. Molasses
2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
2 tps. Salt
4 Tbsp. Gluten Free Vanilla
1 cup almond flour

Mix all ingredients. Spoon by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.