Dairy Free Chicken Casserole

I found the original recipe in a church cookbook, but I've altered it so much I suppose I could claim it as my own. Here is my dairy free version:

approximately 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded into bite size pieces
2 cups rice cooked in chicken broth (I use instant rice and the broth from my crockpot chicken)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped in food processor
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped in food processor
2 cups dairy free cream of mushroom soup
1 1/3 cup mayonnaise substitute (like Veganaise)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (I use whole wheat)
dairy free margarine

Mix all ingredients except Ritz and margarine in a 9x12 casserole dish. (If you can make this ahead of time and let it sit covered in the refrigerator overnight, the flavors blend wonderfully, if not... it's still great!)

Preheat oven 325. Whether you let it sit for a few hours or not, before cooking sprinkle top of casserole with crackers and place small pieces of margarine on top of the crackers.


Bake 40 - 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Plain Crockpot Chicken

This is exactly what it sounds like. I use this to make my Chicken Stew and Chicken Casserole.

1 whole chicken
2 -3 cups water


Skin the chicken. (This really reduces the calories and grease in the broth). Put chicken in the crock-pot with water. Cook until chicken it is almost falling off the bone (about 5 hours on low). Strain broth to remove any bones.

If you buy a big enough chicken, use part for the stew/casserole and then make chicken salad sandwiches with the rest.

Egg Free Dairy Free Pancakes

These pancakes are AWESOME!! We had them Christmas morning and they were gone quickly! Jeff even asked for them again recently. I found the original recipe on Kylie's Blog and with her permission, here's my ever-so-slightly tweaked version:

1 cup Plain Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 cup plain or vanilla milk substitute (we love Almond in this recipe)
1.5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Her Instructions:

Sift flour and baking soda/powder and salt. (Sifting makes the pancakes fluffier.)

Add sugar. (Whisk these together is you don't have a sifter.)

Add Vanilla and Oil and half the soy milk. Whisk together.

Gradually add the rest of the soy milk until thick pouring consistency.

Heat Frying pan - needs to be reasonably hot. I used vegetable oil - but you could use spray. Oil/spray for each pancake - they do stick otherwise. I found with this recipe the pancakes worked best if they were on the small side. If the were too big they were difficult to turn.

What I did:

I used a skillet and heated it to 250, sprayed with olive oil. I used a 1/4 cup to make 2 pancakes to keep them small as she suggested. Yield: 16 wonderful little pancakes just right for my boys' hands! :)

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
SUBMITTED BY: SHELLERY at www.allrecipes.com

The original recipe calls for grated Parmesan cheese, but I think it is great without it. Here is my dairy free version:

2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Place the olive oil and garlic in a small casserole dish. Add cauliflower and mix. [ Important: The dish needs to be small enough so that the cauliflower covers the entire bottom with no "blank spaces" or the garlic will burn to the dish and you'll have a lot of scrubbing to do later.]

Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.


(The garlic does burn a little, but I think it tastes great that way!)

Ritz Chicken (Dairy Free)

I found this at What I'm Eating these days and she's given me permission to share it:


Chicken Breasts (however many your family needs)
Fleischman's UNSALTED margarine, melted (yes, this brand is DF)
Salt and pepper
Ritz Crackers, Crushed (they are indeed, dairy free!)

Dredge Chicken in melted margarine then salt and pepper to taste and roll in ritz crackers. Place in a greased casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 325 for 1 and 1/2 hours. Uncover and brown top to your liking.

It's good with steamed Broccoli and Lawry's seasoning salt. Or Green beans drained and cooked with beef bullion cubes (check your labels).

Crab-Stuffed Venison Steak Rolls (Dairy Free)

This recipe came from the Ultimate Venison Cookbook, pg 66. I had to tweak it a bit even though when trying a new recipe I am supposed to follow it (house rules and all). We don't have wine in the house and this recipe called for it; however, I did do some research to find a suitable substitute. Apparently apple cider will give a similar taste to wine in the finished product, so that's what I used and it turned out great!

The other tweak is that this is supposed to be rolled up, but my cube steaks were not big enough for that so I just put the stuffing on top. Here's the tweaked recipe and what I did:

Topping:

1/4 stick dairy free margarine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 (6 oz) cans crab - the recipe calls for 1/2 pound
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Steaks and Apple Cider Sauce:

2 Tbsp dairy free margarine
1 garlic clove, minced
4 venison cubed steaks
4 large slices onion (I used sweet)
1 cup apple cider (original recipe called for zinfandel wine)
1/2 cup sour cream substitute (I used Tofutti Sour Supreme)
salt and pepper to taste

Here is my variation to the original:

To prepare stuffing, melt margarine in a large skillet and add garlic, celery and onion. Saute' vegetables until soft. Add crab, herbs, salt and pepper. Remove from the pan.

Add 2 Tbsp margarine to the pan and lightly cook garlic; add steaks and quickly brown on both sides. Remove from pan. Place stuffing in the center of steaks. Cut 4 large slices of onion and place in the pan. Place steaks and stuffing on top of each onion slice. Pour apple cider over steaks. cover and simmer 15 - 20 minutes or until tender. Carefully remove onion and steak from pan and place on a dish. Add 1/2 cup sour cream to pan drippings and cook, stirring constantly, until warm but not boiling. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over steaks and serve immediately.

To me, these were even better the next day. The combination of the steak, crab, and onion was wonderful and the sauce just made it even better.

Party Meatballs (Dairy Free)

I received this recipe from my friend, Deborah. It's quick, easy, and tasty! If you want more sauce, notice that the ketchup to grape jelly is a 2:1 ratio - easy to adjust!

1 package 80 frozen, fully cooked meatballs (Walmart's Homestyle Meatballs are dairy free)
2 cups ketchup
1 cup grape jelly


These are her directions:
1. Bake meatballs as directed
2. Heat ketchup & jelly
3. Mix together


Mine:
Throw it all in a crock pot, mix, cook on high for 4 hours or so.

Dairy Free Dill Dip

I let my husband taste test this without him knowing it was dairy free... his first comment? "Mmmm, that's good!"

1 Cup sour cream substitute (I used Tofutti Sour Supreme)
1 C Hellman's mayo (or an egg-free "mayo" like Veganaise)
3-4 tsp. dill weed
1 - 1 1/2 tsp celery salt

Mix together and let flavors mesh together for at least 5 hours or even overnight if you can wait that long. Serve with mixed raw veggies. This is SOOOO good.

Jeff's Favorite Meatloaf (dairy free)

2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
2 large eggs
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (I make my own)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Optional additions: a few shakes of Worcestershire's sauce, Tobasco sauce, and/or Italian seasoning.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients. Press meat in ungreased 8x4" loaf pan. (I also like to use mini-loaf pans - they work great)

Bake 65-70 minutes. Yield: 8 servings

Dairy Free Chili

This is a basic recipe that you can easily add to. We, however, like it just like this.

1 lb ground beef (venison, or turkey)
1 large onion
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp Chili powder
2 Tbsp AP flour
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, liquefied (put it in a food processor and give it a good whirl)
1 cup water
1 can pinto beans, no need to drain (I like Luck's)

Brown the ground beef and onion together in a large pot. Drain, rinse if desired. Return to pot.

Reduce heat. Add all remaining ingredients and cook slowly for 45 minutes.

Dairy Free Banana Bread

I got this recipe from my Kitchen Addict friend. It's a wonderfully moist banana bread! I substituted applesauce for the vegetable oil to make it a little healthier and it was still moist and tasty (a little on the spongy side texture wise, but still great!) I will make this again and again because I ate the whole loaf myself! :)

Banana Bread by Beth Hensperger

ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 medium to large overripe bananas, slightly mashed

1 1/4 cups AP flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, sugar, and eggs. Beat hard with a whisk until light colored and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and mashed bananas and beat again until well combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Add to the banana-egg mixture and stir to combine. Beat well to make a batter that is evenly combined and creamy in consistency.

Spoon the batter into the loaf pan. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the tops are firm to the touch, the loaves pull away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer loaf to a cooling rack and cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days before serving.

Grandmother's Mexican Cornbread

**NOTE: This recipe was added prior to this site becoming DFEFPF. I've left it here just for reference.**


This is another recipe I inherited from my mother-in-law. Jeff likes his Mexican cornbread really spicy and I don't. If it was just me, I'd use about 2 Tbsp jalapeños, for Jeff, probably 4 - 5 Tbsp.

3 Cups Self Rising Cornmeal
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 can cream corn
3 Tbsp sugar
2 medium chopped onion or 1 large
3 Tbsp jalapeños

Grease and flour 13x9 pan. Bake at 450 for a little under 30 minutes.

Super Soup

This is great for your leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. The recipe calls for turkey legs, but I've used anything I had left over and it's great.

From www.allrecipes.com submitted by Melody

Super Soup

• 2 turkey legs
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 pound processed cheese, cubed
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
• 4 cups water

Boil turkey in water until tender. Cut up meat, and add back into turkey broth. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, and celery. Boil until tender. Add frozen vegetables, and cook 15 minutes more. Stir in cream of chicken soup and cubed cheese. Cook over medium-low heat until cheese melts, stirring often.

Quick & Easy Fudgey Brownies (Dairy Free)

These are my FAVORITE BROWNIES!! Yummm. This recipe came from off the box of Hershey's Unsweetened Baking Chocolate bar (Kosher OU).

4 bars (4 oz) HERSHEY'S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate, broken into pieces
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) dairy free margarine (I added the dairy free part)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c all-purpose flour (watch labels)
1 c chopped nuts (optional, and I opt to not include them)

Heat oven to 350. Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan.

In large microwave-safe bowl, place chocolate and better. Microwave at HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Add sugar; stir with spoon until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts, if desired; stir until well blended. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. About 24 brownies.

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If you don't have chocolate squares on hand, but do have cocoa powder, try this recipe instead.
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Dairy Free Bratwurst Stew

From www.allrecipes.com by Deborah Elliott

Bratwurst Stew

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth (check your labels for dairy free)
  
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
• 2 celery ribs, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 cups chopped cabbage
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 5 fully cooked bratwurst links, cut into 3/4 inch slices (check label for dry milk)

In a large saucepan, combine the broth, carrots, celery, onion and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cabbage; cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in beans and bratwurst; heat through.

Dairy Free Spinach Salad with Dressing

I believe I got this recipe from a Taste of Home magazine. I don't know which issue, though. Sorry.

8 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 lb fresh sliced mushrooms
4 green onions
1/2 jar Real Bacon (or you can make your own bacon pieces)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
3 hard-cooked eggs cut into wedges


Combine spinach, mushrooms, and onions in salad bow. Heat lemon juice, water, mustard, and pepper until heated through. Add bacon to heated mixture, pour over salad immediately. Toss salad. Top with eggs.

Frosting for Cut-Out Cookies (Dairy Free)

This is not a very precise recipe. I have to play with it every year to get it "just right".

2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs melted dairy free margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c dairy free shortening
4 tsp Soy milk
prepared coffee to cut sweetness (optional)
food coloring as desired

I use my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer to stir this up. You want it to be smooth and spreadable. It will take about 5 minutes of beating to get the right consistency. Yield: frosts approximately 75 cookies

Add the coffee a little at a time and taste test to your desired sweetness (that's the fun part!).

We found that with the food coloring it's best to just make the given colors of red, yellow, and blue, and green first. Then take what you need from each to make orange, purple, etc.

Cut Out Cookies (Dairy Free)

There is a story I have to tell with this recipe. When I was in 7th grade, I wanted to make the cut out cookies for Christmas. I had helped numerous times and mom left me in the kitchen on my own. The recipe card said in parenthesis DOUBLE RECIPE. I thought that meant to double the recipe. Oh no, the recipe had already been doubled. I had flour all over me and all over the kitchen! Mom laughed and laughed. I don't think there has ever been a time since then that I don't think about that when I make these cookies. Good memories! :)

(DOUBLE RECIPE)
1 cup dairy-free margarine
1 cup dairy-free shortening
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs (replace with 1 cup applesauce to make egg-free)
5 cups all purpose flour (check your labels, here! I was surprised)


Mix all ingredients in a LARGE bowl (remember, this is a doubled recipe). Flour working surface and rolling pin lightly. Take a portion of the dough and roll flat with a rolling pin to desired thickness. Use cut-outs to make shaped cookies. Transfer cookies to a greased cookie sheet. Cook for about 10 minutes at 375. Yield: approximately 75 cookies.

While the first batch is cooking, make more cut-outs for the next batch.

Use my Frosting for Cut-Out Cookies for fun and to sweeten the cookies up a bit. They are not a very sweet cookie on their own.

Dairy Free Deviled Eggs

This recipe comes from the Sugar Busters! Cookbook. I've altered it just a bit; the original recipe says to add 1/4 tsp paprika into the egg yolk mixture, but I like to sprinkle mine on top.

6 hard boiled eggs
2 Tbsp mayo
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
paprika to taste

Cut hard boiled eggs in half. Scoop out the hardened yolk. Combine yolk with all ingredients except the paprika. Assemble eggs onto platter. Sprinkle with paprika.

Orange Dream

Great dessert for a summer day after eating Beefy Rice Salad Sandwiches.

From The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook p. 286

1 1/2 c fresh orange juice, chilled
1 c vanilla soy milk, chilled
1/3 c silken tofu
1 T honey
1 t grated orange zest
1/2 t vanilla extract
5 ice cubes

In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth and frothy, about 30 seconds. Pour into tall chilled glasses.

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My Notes:
If I wasn't dairy-free, I'd put a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream in this! :) This will probably be as close as I get to an orange cream popsicle in a while, though.

Dairy-Free Spaghetti Sauce

This is another recipe I adopted from my MIL. I believe she received it when she was taking Home Economics in high school. It is a great basic recipe. Add onions, peppers, etc to make it your own. I know it sounds strange to add mushroom soup, but it cuts the acid from the tomatoes and makes it a richer sauce.


1 pound ground beef (turkey and venison also work well)
1 cup dairy-free cream of mushroom soup
1 26.5 can Hunts Spaghetti sauce (check label for cheeses)
(I liked Traditional Ragu, but it has cheese in it)

Brown meat. Drain off grease. Stir in soup and sauce. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve over spaghetti noodles.

Beefy Rice Salad Sandwiches (Dairy Free)

Beefy Rice Salad Sandwiches from www.allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups rice, cooked
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
3 pita bread rounds, cut in half
lettuce leaves
tomato slices

Rinse rice in a fine mesh strainer under cold running water until no longer cloudy. Transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, remove from heat and let stand for at least 10 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool.

Cook onion and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat until tender. Add ground beef and thyme, and cook until well browned, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary.

In a bowl, stir together cooked rice, meat mixture, avocado, and parsley. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, rice vinegar, and desired amount of salt and pepper. Pour over rice mixture, and toss lightly. Line each pita half with lettuce and tomato, and fill each with rice mixture. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!

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My notes: This was a great light meal. It would be a wonderful summertime lunch. I think I will add cucumber and the whole avocado next time.

Grandmother's Chicken Stew (Dairy Free)

I inherited this recipe when I married my husband. This was one of his favorite stews growing up and I love it, too!

1 whole chicken, cooked
3 - 4 cups peeled, diced potatoes
1 large onion chopped
1 can whole kernel corn blended in food-processor (or use cream corn if dairy free isn't an issue)
1 1/2 T salt
pepper to taste
1 T sugar
1 T Heinz Worcestershire sauce (it's Kosher/dairy free)
1 T Tobasco sauce
14 oz can diced tomato, blended


Skin the chicken and cook it in the crock-pot with about 3 cups of water until it is almost falling off the bone (about 5 hours on low). (My MIL cooks her chicken with a pressure cooker, but I'm too "chicken" to use one!)

Remove the chicken when it is done and allow it to cool enough to pick it off the bones. Strain the broth to remove any small bones.

While the chicken is cooling, begin the stew. In a large pot, bring the broth from the chicken to a boil. Put potatoes, onion, and corn in the boiling broth. Add more water or broth if necessary to cover the vegetables. Boil until potatoes are at desired tenderness, about 12 -15 minutes. (While potatoes are boiling, pick chicken from the bones and tear into bite-sized pieces.)

Add salt, pepper, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and Tobasco sauce. Add blended tomatoes and then add the chicken. Simmer at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. So good and it's even better the next day!


(We used to eat this with a slice of Velveeta cheese on toast.)

Dairy-free Sheppard's Pie

1 lb ground beef, cooked
1 c dairy-free cream of mushroom soup
Dairy-free mashed potatoes
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained

In a 9x12 casserole dish, mix the cooked ground beef and dairy-free mushroom soup. Top with mashed potatoes and then top with corn. Heat 350 for about 25 minutes until warm throughout.

Corn doesn't agree with Jeff, so I usually serve the corn and other veggies on the side.

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

5 - 8 medium baking potatoes
1/2 stick dairy-free margarine
salt and pepper to taste
plain soy milk

Boil salted water in a medium to large pot. Peel potatoes and slice into chunks. Boil potatoes until tender (about 20 minutes or so). When potatoes are tender (can be broken easily with a fork) drain potatoes. Mix boiled potatoes with 1/2 stick of dairy-free margarine and salt and pepper to taste. Add plain soy milk slowly after margarine has melted into potatoes. Add more plain soy milk until potatoes are fluffy the way you like them.

Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

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THIS recipe is the #1 search request and the #1 reason most people stumble upon my recipe blog. Please, please, let me know what you think of it... how you might have tweaked it to make it better... etc. With so many people trying it, I would love some feedback! Thanks!
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One of my first concerns when I found out we were going dairy-free was that I wouldn't be able to make the casseroles and dishes that my family loves the most because they contain cream of mushroom soup (FULL OF DAIRY!!). I found this wonderfully flavorful recipe for dairy-free cream of mushroom soup:

For 1 cup of soup:

Microwave***  1 1/4 c plain soy* milk for about 3 minutes to get it hot while you:

Saute':
3 T dairy free margarine
1/4 cup canned mushrooms, chopped (or use fresh)
1 T onion, chopped

Whisk in:
3 T flour **
1/4 tsp salt
dash pepper

Cook over medium heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. While slowly adding in the hot soy milk, whisk until a thick creamy texture. This also thickens upon cooling, so take that into consideration for how thick you want it.

So good! I don't know if I'll be able to go back to canned cream of mushroom soup!

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*UPDATE: I have also substituted Rice Milk for the Soy Milk (1:1). While it does work well, it is a little thinner and not quite as flavorful (in my opinion).

*UPDATE2: I have also substituted Almond Breeze Original for the soy milk (1:1) and it is just as good/thick as the soy (IMO).

**UPDATE3: Any thickener should work in place of the flour. I have used AP flour, WW flour, and arrowroot.  All work equally well.

***UPDATE4: I no longer use the microwave step for this recipe.  Step 1: Sauté. Step 2: Whisk. Step 3: Pour in the cold "milk". Stir until thick over medium heat.
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If you are cooking dairy-free or egg-free, PLEASE read your labels. Just because I have listed something here as dairy-free does not mean that your brand is dairy-free. Some well known name brands contain dairy, but the generic store brand may be dairy-free (and vice versa). Just be sure to check.

This is not an "I hate milk" site. I know there are lots of them out there. I in fact, love to drink milk. Prior to the allergy update, our family would go through at least 3 - 4 gallons of it in a week! We have hopes that the baby will outgrown this allergy, as 80% of children do.

I generally do not make up recipes or adjust them too much with extra spices and the like. I'm not allowed to! :) They just don't turn out too great when I do. I enjoy cooking and when I follow a recipe, it usually turns out well.

Please feel free to use my recipes and change them up to fit your family's preferences (if YOU are allowed to *wink*). If I know where a recipe came from, I will document the site or book as best I can. If you publish a recipe of mine on your blog or site, please link back to the original post. All pictures on this blog will be taken by me (unless otherwise noted); please give my site credit if you borrow one.

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Thank you very much! :)