tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83454302631319200932024-02-19T21:37:44.231-07:00The Pink CowgirlJill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-34456930091934465812014-03-26T16:14:00.000-06:002014-03-26T16:14:03.900-06:00Chicken Jerk Marinade <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Yummy Nummy Jerk Marinade</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone who has gone gluten free miss Jerk? Well, to be totally honest. I had never experienced any sort of Jamaican cuisine prior to going on my diet. Soooooooo honestly, I can't tell you how authentic this recipe is. Only that it's very tasty and family pleasingly good. Now, apparently to have good jerk, you need some spice. If your taste buds require a bit of a kick, use 2-4 habanero peppers. Now, being that my daughter and grandpa are not such fans of the tasty little orange peppers, I use roughly 1/4 cup bell pepper. Really, it can be any sort of color. Red, green, yellow, purple, orange. Speaking of peppers, have I told you how much I adore bell peppers? I am currently growing every color imaginable (well....all except for white bells. I have yet to find seeds of that variety....Sooooooon I will have them. Soooooon). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now to get back to business. The recipe for this tasty little number is as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Jerk Marinade</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 habanero peppers (or, if you do not want the heat, 1/4 cup diced bell pepper)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 green onions cut into 2" pieces</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon garlic powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup brown sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon gluten free tamari soy sauce</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon rum</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt and pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-4 lbs chicken pieces (or 4 cornish game hens)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Place the peppers green onions, thyme, garlic powder, brown sugar, soy sauce, rum, and water in a blender and puree until liquidfied. Rinse chicken pieces and place in a large ziploc bag. Pour marinade into the bag, seal, then toss to incorporate evenly. Refridgerate for at least 5 hours or if possible, overnight. After chicken has marinated for the required time, preheat oven to 300. Place the chicken in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes. *will not be cooked all the way* Meanwhile, light your grill to medium high heat. Place the chicken in the grill and cook turning occasionally for a total of roughly 20 minutes. Let chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. </span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-5619888503229195572014-02-10T21:34:00.000-07:002014-02-11T06:10:40.876-07:00MercoBox Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now this is a fun review I have been excited to share with you. I recently was offered the opportunity to receive and review a unique and exciting thing. A box. Yep, you heard me right, this box is both an exciting and a great idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4Vfb2ZmVw_4/UvfkhR-omHI/AAAAAAAAG-w/CK95rIblITk/s1600/DSCN8155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4Vfb2ZmVw_4/UvfkhR-omHI/AAAAAAAAG-w/CK95rIblITk/s1600/DSCN8155.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So here is what the MercoBox is all about. It's a box full of products, gift cards, and coupons that showcase all the offerings available from locally owned businesses. What's even cooler is that you get a new selection of products each month. I can discover companies locally that I most likely would not found otherwise. I love the idea of supporting local merchants. Keeping dollars and jobs right here locally. Being a small business owner myself, I am 100% in support of shopping locally and keeping my hard earned $$ right here in my community. So it only made sense for me to become a MercoBox subscriber. I have to say, I'm pretty excited to get my monthly box of goodies. To me it's almost like Christmas as each month will include a new selection of products for me to try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So here is my lovely little box:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n8EE03YD_oQ/UvlVbWYw9UI/AAAAAAAAG_I/xvMW3f1VRuI/s1600/DSCN8156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n8EE03YD_oQ/UvlVbWYw9UI/AAAAAAAAG_I/xvMW3f1VRuI/s1600/DSCN8156.JPG" height="286" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And here be my box of surprises: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3cp6OvJLThE/UvlVeubPuPI/AAAAAAAAG_Q/CusxR2EHdZg/s1600/DSCN8157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3cp6OvJLThE/UvlVeubPuPI/AAAAAAAAG_Q/CusxR2EHdZg/s1600/DSCN8157.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And here are some of of my favorite things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now I really loving these fragrances. I am still deciding on which one I like best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2WiKAiI1uh4/UvlVfXX8NSI/AAAAAAAAG_U/1RfbnQ6DO5k/s1600/DSCN8158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2WiKAiI1uh4/UvlVfXX8NSI/AAAAAAAAG_U/1RfbnQ6DO5k/s1600/DSCN8158.JPG" height="263" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Ok, now this is a product I would have NEVER have thought of nor would I have realized this was a Utah company. This little number actually catches hair before it turns into a clog and creates that awful slow icky drain issue us girls so frequently deal with. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q6Yp2-iiMS8/UvlVfu-78xI/AAAAAAAAG_c/xC1wg73WeSk/s1600/DSCN8159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q6Yp2-iiMS8/UvlVfu-78xI/AAAAAAAAG_c/xC1wg73WeSk/s1600/DSCN8159.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> All natural and homemade soap! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> K, so the blush samples combined with a coupon with free shipping made for a total instabuy. I'm a sucker for shiny sparkly things and shimmery makeup is no exception. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--3CaCHzQNEY/UvlV4x1uxlI/AAAAAAAAG_0/F_k67TWz83s/s1600/DSCN8162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--3CaCHzQNEY/UvlV4x1uxlI/AAAAAAAAG_0/F_k67TWz83s/s1600/DSCN8162.JPG" height="320" width="318" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So wanna know how it works? How can you get your hands on a box of your own? It's easy peasy and what's even better is that your box will be delivered to your home with your monthly subscription.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And here is the lovely little hyperlink for <a href="http://www.mercobox.com/" target="_blank">MercoBox</a>. Check it out :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, please visit their home website <a href="http://www.mercolocal.com/" target="_blank">Merco Local</a> for great deals being offered by local merchants. New deals are posted weekly and just like the box....it's all local. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">P.S. The opinion on this blog post is non other than my own. I have not been paid or been persuaded in any manner to give a positive, neutral or a negative review. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!</span><br />
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-3902023170962087352014-01-20T13:44:00.001-07:002014-01-20T13:44:37.543-07:00Spiced Lentil and Tomato Soup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spiced Lentil and Tomato Soup</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ok, so I do apologize in advance for another lentil recipe. We really do love lentils at the Wilkins home. Even the picky husband and tike enjoy em. It's nice too that they like them because they are little nutritional powerhouses that are packed full of protein and fiber. Not to mention.....cheap! One of my daughter and my favorite snacks are sprouted lentils. So easy to make and tasty. I'm getting off track though....back to the recipe. It's sweet, savory, spicy. Yum. If you are a vinegar freak, drizzle some balsamic vinegar in your hot steamy tasty soup. Did I say YUM?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spiced Lentil and Tomato Soup</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken makes a nice substitute)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 medium sized carrots chopped</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 medium onion chopped</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2/3 cup green lentils rinsed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 6oz can tomato paste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 can diced tomatoes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tablespoon brown sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon garlic powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon thyme</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon dried dill</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3/4 teaspoon salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3/4 garam masala</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a large pot combine broth, carrots, onion, and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes (or until lentils are tender). Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. Or........place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on medium for 4 hours. </span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-23791823617887310852014-01-20T13:41:00.002-07:002014-01-20T13:41:20.551-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Everyone<br />
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Here is a little shout out and an opportunity for a free DVD set on turning your backyard into a food producing paradise.<br />
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For anyone on facebook, here is Marjory's page on growing your own groceries. She has some great stuff!<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/growyourowngroceries" target="_blank">Marjory Wildcraft's Grow Your Own Groceries</a><br />
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And here is the link to the contest. Good luck!<br />
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<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/growyourowngroceries?sk=app_228910107186452" target="_blank">Grow Your Own Groceries DVD Set contest</a></div>
Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-23757230074041585182013-11-09T16:59:00.005-07:002013-11-09T16:59:56.689-07:00Gluten Free Cookbook Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Howdy Y'all! It has certainly been a while since I have posted. Mainly because of my focus to run the Chicago Marathon. With that out of the way and actually surviving I can now focus on more important things. Like food. Did I mention totally awesome and incredible food? To be more specific. Bread. Lots and lots of bread. Now, I was lucky enough to be contacted to do a review on a recently published gluten free bread recipe book Gluten Free Bread more than 100 Artisan Loaves for a Healthier Life by Ellen Brown. Here is what is so exciting....over 100 DIFFERENT and might I add very unique and delicious bread recipes. This is not your dry, crumbly, might work better as a coaster gluten free bread recipes that us Celiacs and anti-glutites have come to know all too well. This book has many varieties and Artisan breads that we normally have to go without.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What caught my attention when I first was the author's preface...Bread is the staff of life. It is the essential food. The first petition in the Lord's Prayer "Give us this day, our daily bread." It's not "give us this day our daily banana smoothie." I had to chuckle at that last sentence lol! For people like me who has relatively given up bread and having the experience of enjoying a fresh out of the oven warm slice of bread and butter, this book is truly a blessing. Yes, we can buy a frozen brick, and might I add SMALL, of gluten free bread at most grocery stores, but honestly....why would we want to pay nearly $8 for bread that is full of refined starches and made months previously? In my book, that's just silly. So, I normally just go without, which I know many of us do. Now, it's not to say I haven't tried my hand at TRYING to make gluten free bread at home. Lets just say.....It has not been one of my crowning achievements lol! There are some really great things that I love about this book. First off, each bread recipe has healthy whole grain and protein packed bean flours which not only add amazing taste, but GREAT nutrition. Next (and honestly, this is my favorite part), each recipe has it's own particular blend of flours. I completely agree with the creator of this cook book that there is NO magical blend of gluten free flours. For each loaf to turn out amazing and and JUST like it's gluten filled counterpart, there needs to be a specific ratio of particular flours. What also is exciting is for EACH recipe, the author has included two types of measurement per ingredient of each recipe. Because of the dynamics of gluten free cooking, sometimes using the standard cup/spoon measurements will not lend an optimal outcome, SO she has included the weight to use for each ingredient along with the standard cup/spoon measurement. Now, honestly, I took the lazy man's way and just used my cups and spoons for each recipe I tried. BUT, I have been leaning toward using weight measurements in my gluten free baking as I know it provides more exact amounts required. As grateful as I am for the two sets of measurements I can only imagine the work this woman went into to create each recipe. Way to go Ellen!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, I tried my hand and three of the recipes. All of which turned out fabulously. Well, aside from the white sandwich bread (which was due to MY fault at letting it rise in too warm of a location. I will be giving the sandwich bread a second attempt and am very excited to see the results. Now, that being said, the flavor and texture was amazing on this bread and I can't wait to dig into a big ol' cold cut sandwich using my very own homemade bread. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The first recipe I whipped up was obviously the White Sandwich Bread. Now, like I said, the end result of the loaf really had nothing to do with the recipe itself. It had more to do with my house being FREEZING cold and me letting it rise in my oven which I had warmed up. Unfortunately it was too warm and my dough rose a bit TOO much and proceeded to overflow a bit like molten lava out of a volcano haha! Still, the end result was very delicious, it just lacked the "pretty factor" so no picture was taken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recipe #2 I tried out is the Multiseed Bread. Holy heck on fire. This one was fabulous! I have really missed a good hearty whole grain bread filled to the brim with seeds and grains. My family loves Dave's Killer bread which to me looks and smells AMAZING. Boy, there have been times I have considered taking a big ol' bite out of one of those pieces, but the end result has obviously kept those cravings at bay. Well, not anymore. This bread was so fun to make and SO easy! What I really appreciated is the author's use of ground up chia seeds as the binding agent in the bread. So not only do we not need xanthun gum which lends absolutely NO nutritional value, but we now have a binder AND all the nutritional punch that chia seeds offer. Yet another thumbs up for Ellen Brown :) This loaf is also a quick bread and no yeast or time to rise was needed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Recipe #3 is the Beer Bread recipe. I myself have never tried beer bread. However, I have two dear friends that are always raving about tasty warm freshly baked beer bread. So, I was very excited when I saw a gluten free beer bread version in this book. Let me tell you. Beer Bread IS rave worthy :) I made a fresh loaf to go with a spicy batch of chili and Oh MY Goodness. Perfect combination.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And here we have all my lovely leftover beer bread drying to
be used for Thanksgiving's gluten free stuffing. Yet another wonderful
suggestion from the author (since there is just no way I could eat that
entire loaf) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In closing....I love this book. I really do. Now, I have in NO way been paid or coached to add a positive review on this book. All opinions expressed are my own. This book is wonderful and I enjoyed trying new recipes and look forward to trying more. Plus.....let me tell you, there is a downright GENIUS bagel recipe in here that I will be sharing in the future. Thanks as always for reading my blog and I look forward to sharing more healthy and tasty gluten free recipes with you all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jill ~The Pink Cowgirl~</span></div>
Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-63611485286747562232013-08-09T20:08:00.000-06:002013-08-09T20:08:05.998-06:00Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, so this is another loose recipe. Basically, it's whatever you have surplus from your garden or refrigerator. For me, it's bell peppers, eggplant, and summer squash (namely crookneck and zucchini). Plus, this wonderful side is so darned easy and can be put together in a jiffy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here it is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat your oven to 400. Then you will want a total of 7 cups of chopped vegetables and 1/4 cup olive oil. I used 1 onion, eggplant, zucchini, crookneck squash, and 1 large red bell pepper. Toss all together in a large bowl then add salt and pepper tossing a bit more. Pour into a casserole dish, cover, and bake for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are cooked and slightly browned on the edges. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Soooooooo ya, that's it. You can pretty much use any vegetable, just cover with oil, salt, and pepper then roast in your oven. As my wonderful friend Sharla once said, sometimes the simplest of ingredients makes for the most delicious of dishes :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy cooking everyone!</span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-15801782923783399602013-05-01T07:14:00.002-06:002013-05-01T07:14:19.333-06:00All about gluten free<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I get asked quite frequently about getting started going gluten free and since May is officially the gluten free month, I decided to write up a quick reference guide/post thingy that hopefully will help answer any questions you might have about eating and cooking gluten free. I will most likely be updating this blog quite frequently as I get new information or find new tools on the web.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To start.....going gluten free is actually very easy. Cut out the processed foods and go back to whole foods. Namely, meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk, nuts, and gluten free grains. Most of gluten will lie in processed foods like bread, cookies, crackers, sauces, frozen dinners, boxed meals (hamburger helper anyone?). So if you are nervous about completely changing your eating lifestyle or are so confused with gluten free and it's flour blends, weird grains, xanthan gum, ect.....take a deep breath and realize, that you can still eat and eat well just by shopping around the EDGES of the grocery store. Seriously, that is where you will find the food that is NATURALLY gluten free. It's the isles of the store where most of the food containing gluten lies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that you have an idea of where to start.....lets talk about food ingredients that are taboo. That will help you on your way to learning to read labels and knowing exactly what you are putting into your body. Prepare to become a label reading Nazi. Basically, to avoid gluten you will need to cut out wheat, barley, and rye. Now.....here is the thing about oats. Oats are NATURALLY gluten free, BUT are cross contaminated VERY easily. They can even pick up gluten from the fields they are grown in. So unless the package states Certified Gluten free, do not consume. Here is a wonderful link that lists everything to steer clear from:</span><a href="http://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsafe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Unsafe-Ingredients/Page1.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unsafe Foods List</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. It's a wonderful quick reference to all ingredients that would contain gluten. If you have a smart phone, put it as one of your favorites so you can reference it quickly while on the go. Now, my blog is a gluten free AND corn free blog as I am intolerant to corn and it affects me much as gluten does. The good news is, corn IS gluten free AND is very versatile. So by all means, enjoy your nachos, corn tortillas, polenta, and good ol corn on the cob :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next is how and where to eat out. Most restaurants are wanting to capitalize on the "gluten free movement" so you will be able to find many places will offer choices that he can eat. There is a great app you can get called </span><a href="http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FindMeGlutenFree</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. It searches using the gps location function on your phone to search for all fast food joints and restaurants that offer gluten free options or a gluten free menu. It also has user's comments which is great because some places that state that they offer gluten free, may either have a pitiful selection or the food was cross contaminated by an uneducated staff. Even though this app works wonderfully and I use it weekly, I still find it's best to call ahead to an establishment to verify IF they offer gluten free and what are the menu items/options. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of cross contamination.....it is imperative to be super duper uber careful if you are celiac or gluten intolerant. The littlest spec of gluten will make you sick and if you are celiac, throw your body into an auto-immune reaction. You will need to have your own toaster, condiments (mayo, peanut butter, butter, ect) as it is SO easy to contaminate jars if there is still normal bread in the house. This is how easy it is to cc (cross contaminate).....you use a butter knife to spread some jam on a roll or bread of the regular gluten filled variety, then stick it back in the jar to get a bit more and BAM! It's been contaminated and is no longer safe for us anti-glutites. For more tips and information on avoiding cc in your home and kitchen please visit this link: </span><a href="http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/cookingglutenfree/a/crosscontaminat.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Avoiding Cross Contamination</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next on the list are gluten free flours and baking. Now, I do not doubt that even the thought of gluten free eating is scary, let alone being overwhelmed with the plethora of flours, flour blends, and gums. So I will try to explain things simply so you have a better understanding of gluten free flours, why we use blends, and the need for gums like xanthan or guar. Gluten is a binding protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. If you have ever made bread or watched someone make it, you can see the strands of gluten when kneading your dough. It's what creates those lovely little fluffy bubbles in your bread and holds all of your baked items together. Now, unfortunately when you bake gluten free, there is no more bind. That is where xanthan gum or guar gum come in. In the correct ratio's, it will replace the gluten's binding and will help your baked goods stay together. Here is a "rule of thumb" ratio on different types of baked goods:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bread and pizza dough recipes: Add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour used in bread and pizza dough recipes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cake, muffin and quick bread recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup of gluten-free flour used</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cookie and bar recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon (or less) xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup gluten-free flour used </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, as for gluten free flours. Unfortunately there is not one gluten free flour that can be used as a cup for cup replacement with regular all purpose flour. You will need to have a combination of flours to mimic the protein and starch that regular flour contains. I'm sure it's overwhelming when you start seeing flours like sorghum, teff, millet, bean, sweet rice, tapioca starch. The good news is that many wonderful gluten free bakers and bloggers have come up with wonderful gluten free flour blends that are premade AND can contain the proper flour/gum ratio and will measure cup for cup with regular flour. So the guess work is taken out and you can bake pretty much ANY recipe out there just by using your gluten free all purpose flour blend. So don't toss out your good ol' Betty Crocker cookbook, keep it and keep using your recipes JUST like you would with normal flour. The drawback to premade gluten free flour blends is that they are expensive. By being a stay at home mom, I have needed to learn how to pinch my pennies. I have found the most cost effective way to feed me and my family is to just make everything from scratch. I buy my gluten free flours in bulk and keep them in containers in my spare freezer. The reason I keep them frozen is that some flours like brown rice flour has a very short shelf life. By keeping it frozen, I can extend my use of it by MONTHS. I buy my flours at two different places. First being Winco and second at the Asian store. Most Asian stores will have potato starch, tapioca starch, and both sweet and white rice flour. Winco is awesome because I can buy my xanthan gum, brown rice flour, tapioca starch all in their bulk section. Another wonderful thing about Winco is that they offer gluten free noodles, granola, oats, quinoa, and many different types of rice in their bulk saving you TONS. I can get a pound of gluten free noodles for $2 vs. $7 at a health food store. All I am paying for is pretty packaging which will just be tossed in the trash anyway. Next is a little list of flours that I have found to work wonderfully with cooking:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sweet rice (otherwise known as glutinous rice) works wonderfully with creating white sauces and gravies. It will make a nice thick cream soup or make divine gravy. It is very finely ground and will not have a grainy texture</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob's red mill gluten free flour blend is great for making roux for gumbo's as it has a hearty rich flavor. It also works well with baked goods, just don't taste the batter before it's baked, you will have a bitter batter that is not so pleasing to the palate haha! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Corn starch works great as a thickening agent to create glazes or sauces like sweet and sour chicken sauce. If you are intolerant to corn, then arrowroot starch or tapioca starch work well as a substitute. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many wonderful blogs and websites that feature gluten free cooking and baking. I try to keep mine updated, but unfortunately life gets ahold of me and I can get pretty busy. Here are some of my "go to" places when I need inspiration in the kitchen:</span></div>
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<a href="http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gluten Free Homemaker</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> not only does she offer family friendly gluten free recipes, but she hosts a gluten free Wednesday where other bloggers can showcase their recipes.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.faveglutenfreerecipes.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fave Gluten Free Recipes</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> this website ROCKS! Everything listed is gluten free and there are TONS of recipes to pick from :) </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.julesglutenfree.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jules Gluten Free blog</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is wonderful! She offers a great gluten free flour blend with lots of yummy treats and baked goods recipes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully you can feel a little more confident in delving into the world of gluten free. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have. I will be updating this post periodically as new information comes my way or I learn new tricks to the gf trade. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Jill - The Pink Cowgirl</strong> </span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-19127427128922327102013-05-01T06:10:00.000-06:002013-05-01T06:10:37.365-06:00Overnight Chicken<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Overnight Chicken</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want to add a kick to your chick? Looking for a new way to serve up that cooking staple chicken breast? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now when the planets are aligned and the karma smiles down on the Wilkins home. I'm able to plan our dinner the NIGHT before. Not looking at the clock ticking away at 6:20pm thinking "now WHAT am I going to make for dinner?". Not that this recipe isn't easy peasy, but it's just the matter of planning on my part. Meaning, I have to take out my frozen chicken, thaw it, then whip up the marinade. SOooooOOOOooOOoo like I said earlier....when life slows down just a bit, I will whip up this tasty bird marinade. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't honestly know where I found this, but I stumbled across it whilst browsing the interwebs one day. After trying it out, I realized that this would certainly be a regular dish at our house. First off, I most always have chicken in my freezer. Secondly, the marinade ingredients should pretty much be in any kitchen. No need to go to the store for that ONE item then ending up filling your cart with impulse buys. Not that I would know anything about that hehehe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, here it is. Try it. Eat it. Love it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DWVnjZrSjt_JY-37v3xbWrByDs5uNpf_HdX_CcdpfVjxeUigsDbtGQBAG7GmbqLmgdtHIR0ebLjRm99Ug9RaZazHU0z1em5iWtRzxqTnS-OU0T30nmhmgr-kmm-l31H4md8U8rpHbRM/s1600/DSCN0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DWVnjZrSjt_JY-37v3xbWrByDs5uNpf_HdX_CcdpfVjxeUigsDbtGQBAG7GmbqLmgdtHIR0ebLjRm99Ug9RaZazHU0z1em5iWtRzxqTnS-OU0T30nmhmgr-kmm-l31H4md8U8rpHbRM/s320/DSCN0313.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Overnight Chicken</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 chicken breasts or 5-6 skinless chicken thighs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup honey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 cup Dijon mustard</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 Tablespoon curry powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 Tablespoons soy sauce</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mix together the honey, mustard, soy sauce, and curry powder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Put the chicken and marinade in a ziplock plastic bag then refrigerate overnight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day, pour the chicken with all the sauce into a baking dish, cover, and bake at 350 for at least an hour. Then uncover the chicken and baste and bake an additional 15 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can slice the chicken in strips an serve over rice or on it's own with a side of veggies and taters. Enjoy!</span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-68628723056420441362013-04-09T06:10:00.001-06:002013-04-09T06:10:46.669-06:00Honey Soy Glazed Carrots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Honey Soy Glazed Carrots</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want an easy, delicious, quick, tasty, can be whipped up in a jiffy side dish? Want a recipe with just four simple ingredients you will already have in your pantry? Want to get your picky little tike (and husband for that matter) to eat cooked carrots without scrintching up her nose? Make this recipe. Now, I love carrots. In fact.....want to be let in on a little secret? I eat so many carrots the bottoms of my feet and palms of my hands are orange. No JOKE. You wouldn't really notice (thankfully, unless I held up my hand next to yours). Apparently it's a known condition called carrotitis or something like that. On a whim I Googled it. Guess it's good to know I'm not the only human Bugs Bunny out there. Now why doesn't HE have orange hands and feet.....I would really like to know. Ok, so to whip this little number together, all you need to do is peel 1 lb of carrots then place in a saucepan with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly tender (about 6-8 minutes). Drain then set aside. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in the carrots and soy sauce bringing the heat to high. You will want the carrots to get browned in spots, so only stir occasionally (for only about 2 minutes). Once the carrots have some nice coloring, stir in the honey and cook until carrots are glazed nicely. About 1-2 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thats all folks! hehehe.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honey Soy Glazed Carrots</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 lb Peeled Carrots</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 Tablespoon Butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon Gluten Free Tamari Soy Sauce</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 Tablespoon Honey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a large saucepan filled with water, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Cook until slightly tender (about 6-8 minutes). Drain then set aside. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in the carrots and soy sauce bringing the heat to high. You will want the carrots to get browned in spots, so only stir occasionally (for only about 2 minutes). Once the carrots have some nice coloring, stir in the honey and cook until carrots are glazed nicely. About 1-2 minutes. </span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-10552341703563933262013-01-08T09:59:00.001-07:002013-01-08T09:59:52.349-07:00Jalapeno Quinoa Bites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheesey Quinoa Quiche Bites</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who would have thought a recipe donning two Q's could be so tasty and so easy. Plus, lets talk about their versatility. What's great is as long as you have the quinoa, eggs, and cheese as a base, you can throw in almost anything. Tomatoes, shredded carrots or zucchini, feta, basil. I love making these little guys then putting them in a ziploc baggie and freezing them for morning emergencies when I just don't have time to make anything. Perfect little protein and fiber packed bites. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. I heart these little bites :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, here is how to make them. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jalapeno Quinoa Bites</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup cooked quinoa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 egg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 egg white</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tablespoons diced jalapenos</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup shredded colby jack cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon parmesan cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dash of salt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lightly grease a mini muffin tin. Blend all ingredients together well and spoon roughly a tablespoon in each mini muffin cup. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*can be frozen then microwaved at 25-30 seconds each to satiate major munchie cravings*</span><br />
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-90986889717524088852012-12-01T11:16:00.002-07:002012-12-04T14:47:40.286-07:00Candy Apple Jelly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Candy Apple Jelly</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello everyone out there in internet land. I have a delicious and festive jelly recipe for you to try JUST in time for Christmas. You will not believe how easy this is and how tasty the end result is. I find myself making more and more each year as friends and family have come to expect this tasty concoction around the holidays. I also have to admit....I do enjoy making batch after batch of the crimson red stuff as my house smells of Christmas all day after making it. Who needs candles right? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Isn't this just beautiful? Add some silver ribbon and a little jingle bell and you have the perfect little festive homespun gift :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here is the recipe breakdown:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Candy Apple Jelly</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5 cups apple juice (no sugar added)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 box pectin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup red hot candy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7 cups sugar</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a large pot combine the apple juice, pectin, and red hots and heat on high stirring constantly. Bring to a rapid boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil for one minute. Stir in the sugar and continue stirring until completely dissolved. Stir frequently and bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and<span itemprop="instructions"> ladel into hot jars leaving 1/4″ headspace.
Hand tighten lids and process in a water bath for 5 minutes. This
recipe will make about 8 half pint jars of beautiful red jelly.</span></span></div>
Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-60462302188695745802012-11-18T17:14:00.000-07:002013-02-04T16:54:49.044-07:00Old Fashioned Beef Stew<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Old Fashioned Beef Stew</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Comfort food in a bowl. That's what this recipe is all about. When your cold after digging holes all day in the chill of winter or shoveling frozen horse manure this is the perfect way to warm you from the inside out. Well, ok, maybe your winter activities might be a little different than mine, but hey, you get the picture right? Now, my husband's dear grandma loves Paula Dean. She is so cute to watch her show every day and she calls me weekly to find a recipe online then type it up for her. The poor dear is legally blind and she can't write down the ingredients and instructions. Anyway, long story short. I frequent Miss Dean's website frequently. Well, this here is one of the tasty little numbers I came across and had to make. Verdict? Thank you MAM I will make AGAIN. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Old Fashioned Beef Stew</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 pounds stew beef
<br />2 tablespoons olive oil
<br />2 cups water
<br />1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
(Lea and Perrins is a great gluten free brand :)<br />1 clove garlic, peeled </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 bay leaves<br />1 medium onion, sliced
<br />1 teaspoon salt
<br />1 teaspoon sugar
<br />1/2 teaspoon pepper
<br />1/2 teaspoon paprika
<br />Dash ground allspice or ground cloves
<br />3 large carrots, sliced
<br />3 ribs celery, chopped
<br />2 tablespoons tapioca starch</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay
leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and
simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots and
celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove
2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and
cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture
to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly. </span><br />
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-54231278296783125152012-11-18T16:46:00.000-07:002012-11-18T16:46:26.404-07:00Buttermilk Buckwheat Pancakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buttermilk Buckwheat Pancakes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buttermilk Buckwheat Pancakes. Buttermilk Buckwheat Pancakes. Try saying that three times fast haha! So do you want to know what I love about this recipe? It's so easy. It totally reminds me of the good ol' gluten eating days where there was no need to blend flours and no gums to bind the ingredients. All you need is whole grain buckwheat flour. Now, don't be concerned. Buckwheat is not a wheat, nor is it related to the gluten filled grain. It's actually the flour from a grass seed. Anyway, your batter might be thin at first, but be patient, keep stirring, and it will thicken :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can't wait to make them? Well, you SHOULD! So here is the recipe so you can:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buckwheat Pancakes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup buckwheat flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="abc">1 teaspoon <span itemprop="ingredients">baking powder</span></span><br /><span class="abc">2 tablespoons <span itemprop="ingredients">sugar</span></span><br /><span class="abc"><span itemprop="ingredients">salt</span></span><br /><span class="abc">1 <span itemprop="ingredients">egg</span>, beaten</span><br /><span class="abc">1 cup <span itemprop="ingredients">buttermilk</span></span><br /><span class="abc">2 tablespoons melted <span itemprop="ingredients">butter</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="abc"><span itemprop="ingredients" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heat a large skillet to medium and grease well. Then mix the dry ingredients together. Add egg, milk and butter, mixing well after each addition. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook until bubbles break on surface then carefully flip over and cook another minute or two.</span></span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-8138156567706187452012-11-02T08:14:00.001-06:002012-11-03T21:06:35.430-06:002012 Extreme Horseman's Challenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi there everyone! I finally had a wee bit of downtime and I thought I would share with you a recap of this year's Extreme competitions. I was lucky enough this year to be able to enter and compete in all 6 of the season's competitions. That being said, this years series ended in a lovely belt buckle to the overall winner in each division. Now the divisions go from Youth, Green, Entry, Open, and then Extreme with Extreme obviously being the most challenging AND the most fun, I might add haha! <br />
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Now, how the competitions work is there are 20 or so obstacles scattered throughout a HUGE outdoor facility. The goal of the race is to A. Be the fastest through the course and get the most speed points and B. to display the best riding skills AND horsemanship at each individually judged obstacle. So ya, you might be fast, but can you ride well and will your horse willingly do what's asked? I love these competitions so much. They have so many different things they throw at you and a lot of them, you just CAN'T train for. So it really boils down to how well you can communicate to your horse and how much your horse trusts you. What cracks me up, is my little grey horse enjoys competing as much as I do. It's uncanny because he KNOWS when it's go time and he gives me everything he's got when we are racing. It doesn't matter how big the jump or how scary the obstacle, I just have to SHOW him where he needs to go and he does it. There is a re-occurring joke at the center that Smokey and I are crazy and they should open a new category just for us and call it the Kamikaze division. Kinda makes me laugh since he and I are the smallest to compete in the Extreme division. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE these competitions, but I get SO intimidated....there aren't too many women who enter in extreme and seeing all the big time cowboys on their nice big quarter horses really is unsettling. I show up with my humble little truck and very old trailer and pull out my small $50 horse that no one wanted and it's enough to get my heart pumping a bit.<br />
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Another challenging piece of the competition is TRYING to memorize the course map. Each competitor gets a map of the course and can walk the course the night before. Now, for people that have a few more brain cells firing in their noggin, this is easy for them. Me.......ya, not so much lol! Honestly, the hardest part of these competitions is trying to remember what obstacle comes next, where I'm supposed to go, how I am supposed to do it, all while my horse is going mach 50 on the course. I will admit that I have.....ahem.....been known to totally miss entire sections of obstacles....or.....ahem.....do them in the wrong order. One of the judges joked (while me and the other competitors were doing a course walk) that they wanted to make the races challenging, not only for the horse, but for the rider as well.... So THIS year I made a big effort on really working on doing my best to memorize the course map. What has helped is that I started typing up the description of each obstacle AND making a small laminated copy of the course map. So that way, IF I forgot where to go while competing, I could hurry and pull it out and put it back in a jiffy :)<br />
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So as far as the obstacles go, there has been some real fun and a few difficult ones. My favorites are always, of course, the jumps. I swear my little horse is a stadium jumper at heart. Every picture we have of him jumping he has such great form, his ears are pricked forward, and it really looks like he is enjoying himself. Last year, they had a large log that was set OUT of a recessed water obstacle that you got 5 bonus points if you jumped OUT of the water OVER the log. It was one of the only instances I held the saddle horn and let the rein loose and told my horse "Smoke, balls in your court buddy, get us over that thing". I was so excited that one of the photographers caught us right as we were leaping over the log :) Only one other competitor attempted the log jump and his horse got high centered (both he and his horse were ok ;). There were some funny obstacles they through in as well. One was to sort ONE goat from a herd of sheep AND goats. Well, ONE of the competitors just jumped off his horse, grabbed a goat by the horn, and placed it in the correct pen. Which he got 4 points for being creative! Seeeeeee, that's why these competitions are SO fun! You can think outside of the box. Not to brag though....but Smokey and I got a SHEEP out and penned it WHILE I was still mounted hehehe. Now, the obstacle that I just couldn't master (which ALWAYS lost me points) is the pony express run. It was a spot where you got 5 balloons and while at a gallop, you had to try and hit 3 targets. Ya, ummmm I took big fat ZERO's on that one.....I didn't even come within 1 foot of the targets and most of the time clutz of the year me, would end up dropping all the balloons BEFORE I even had a chance to hit a target lol! Another obstacle that I THOUGHT would give my horse a difficult time was a freshly slaughtered animal skin. I don't hunt and Smokey has never been around anything deceased. The goal of the obstacle was to place the animal skin on the neck of your horse, gallop to a point, and drop it off. Well, they threw in a loud obnoxious coyote call RIGHT when you went to pick the skin up. Thankfully, it didn't phase Smoke one bit. Some other fun things they have done is making you hold a big bouquet of balloons while going over a bunch of scattered telephone poles. So you had to have good balance to jump over those things WHILE holding a bunch of balloons. Then another was to push a big inflated ball in between two goal posts in the water. One of my favorites was on the last competition where you had to ride bareback for a good 100 yards or more at a gallop, dismount, saddle as quickly as you could, then continue the race.<br />
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All in all it was a great year full of fun, friends, and competition. I really enjoyed getting to know the other competitors. Once we all got to know each other, it was fun to throw out some friendly banter and jabs at each other. I would joke that they were on horses slow as molasses, and they would joke about me getting lost. Oh speaking of getting lost. This is a funny story I have to share.....So the competition in September was one of Smokey and my best runs. He literally FLEW and I swear it was our fastest time. I also didn't get lost and I could remember my obstacles and the order I was supposed to do them. SOOOooooOOOOoo I do my last obstacle and Smokey and I start hauling balls to the finish line when all the competitors are yelling my name and pointing. So I freak out thinking I'm going the wrong way to the finish line. So I pull Smokey into a big circle to try and find where I'm supposed to go. Well, everyone is STILL pointing and yelling at me and I can't figure out WHERE I'm supposed to FINISH the darned race at. I literally did 4 huge circles and wasted 30 seconds of my race time trying to find the danged finish line......SO ya, after that, NO one let me forget that the ditzy blonde couldn't find the finish lol! So what's even more funny is Smokey and I STILL had the fastest time even with the 30 extra seconds lol!<br />
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So the results of this year's races? Smoke and I won the year end buckle :) We won 4 of the six, tied for second place once (since I had the slower time by 17 seconds, I took second), and came in second once. I was so proud of my little horse. He really is one of those "once in a lifetime" horses and I'm so glad I nabbed him up when no one else would. He might be small, but don't tell him that. He beats out horses double his size. It was such a fun year and Smokey and I enjoyed every bit of it. I will say, I'm glad the season is over and Smokey and I can relax....until next year that is ;)<br />
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So here are some pictures and a video of this year's races. Thanks for taking the time to read my little blog!<br />
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Chit chatting with a competitor before the race </div>
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Heading towards the next obstacle<br />
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Going over the jump and landing on a steep hill. I wish you could see how steep our landing was....this was certainly a tricky one.</div>
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Those floating milk jugs could be pretty skeeeeery ;) </div>
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Smokey launching us over a log and into the water</div>
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Coming down the "three step"</div>
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Here is another shot of us coming down the steps</div>
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Easy Smoke! </div>
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Heading towards the finish line (didn't get lost this time hahaha!)</div>
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Flying through the water obstacle :)</div>
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Ok, this picture wasn't taken THIS year, it was the crazy big jump we did last year that I mentioned earlier. I had to share it since it is pretty much the biggest obstacle/jump we have done together.<br />
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Here is the link to the video of us sorting.....or at least ATTEMPTING to sort goats hahaha!<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-zKW4ranrI&feature=plcp">Sorting Goats</a> </div>
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Aaaaaaand here is dorky me with my buckle. Don't mind the pink hair, it was part of the costume from earlier ;) The last race we could all dress up :)</div>
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Lastly, the belt buckle :) </div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-12917096676171337022012-10-29T08:01:00.000-06:002012-10-29T08:01:58.808-06:00Hawiian Haystacks....GLUTEN free style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Hawaiian Haystacks</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, good ol' Americana style dinner and YES YOU can make it! It's easy. Almost as easy as opening up a can of cream of chicken soup. Well, ALMOST that easy ;) If your family is like my family it would be a favorite meal for Mom to make. It's a mom favorite because there is really minimal preparation and it's a great way to get your family to eat some veggies that they normally wouldn't. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here is the recipe rundown:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Gluten Free Hawiiain Haystacks</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tablespoons butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1-2 tablespoons butter or oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 chicken breasts or chicken thighs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now for the fun stuff:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">shredded cheese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sliced black olives</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">chopped tomatoes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">diced green onions</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">diced bell peppers (any color)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">for the crunchy stuff....gluten free Fritos :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a medium sized saucepan on medium heat melt the butter and saute onions until tender. Add roughly 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the milk whisking until smooth. Keep whisking until sauce thickens to a paste (about 1-2 minutes). Then slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Keep simmering until sauce begins to thicken. Add more sweet rice flour if needed to thicken to a gravy like consistency. Once sauce reaches the the desired consistency, lower heat to low to keep warm. Then in a medium sized fry pan, warm up a little butter or oil then cook the cubed chicken. Once cooked, add to the chicken sauce. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To serve, place rice on a plate then top with chicken and sauce then add your desired toppings. Enjoy!</span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-47369776001776275312012-10-18T09:54:00.001-06:002012-10-18T09:54:23.546-06:00Carrot Salad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This one is a classic, that's for sure .It's simple, easy, and a perfect side to bring to share with your friends and family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, the sauce can TEND to get runny and if you are a motivated soul, go ahead and pile your shredded carrots on some kitchen towels or paper towels. Also, do not be afraid of the amount of salt. Just trust me. Be brave. Measure out the full 1/2 teaspoon and mix it in. Now pat yourself on the back :) Also, you can add either crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks. Me? Well, I'm not a crushed sort of girl. I like my chunks....but for this recipe I like to roughly chop up the pineapple chunks. Now, if your a chunk person, then by all means, just add the chunks. Same if your a crushed sort of person. Really, crushed, chunked, it's all up to you. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carrot Salad</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 lb shredded carrots</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 cup raisins</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 cup pineapple chunks (drained and lightly chopped)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the dressing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons lemon juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup greek yogurt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup mayo</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shred carrots and place on paper towels to dry. Meanwhile, mix together the sauce ingredients and prepare pineapple and raisins. When sauce is mixed, toss the carrots, raisins, pineapple, and dressing in a large bowl. Allow to chill for at least 20 minutes prior to serving. </span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-40029014030254889502012-09-30T16:25:00.003-06:002012-09-30T16:25:48.355-06:00Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables and Chicken<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables and Chicken</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, the garden is brimming full of vegetable goodness. It's a wonderful feeling walking outside to pick fresh homegrown goodies while getting inspired with what to make. Here is an easy quick little number you can toss in the pot, bake, and eat :) Enjoy! </span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables and Chicken</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 chicken thighs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-4 medium tomatoes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350. Chop your vegetables and place chicken and veggies into casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper then toss. make sure the veggies and chicken are all layered and incorporated evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Allow to rest 7 minutes before serving. </span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-75994726104486638982012-09-25T16:58:00.001-06:002012-09-25T16:58:05.675-06:00Tomato Zucchini Baked Eggs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomato Zucchini Baked Eggs</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello everyone. This is a tasty easy one dish breakfast you can whisk up (pun intended....and YES I know it's scraping the bottom of the barrel for that one). All you need are tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, zucchini, and eggs. This is one of our favorite weekend recipes. My daughter loves going out and picking a handful of tomatoes and I love that she is learning where our food comes from. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, the compilation of this dish is very very easy. Warm up about 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter in a medium pan and then dice up about 3-4 medium sized tomatoes and dice them into 1/2" pieces. When the oil is warm (not hot), saute the maters on medium heat. Meanwhile, shred up about 1/2-3/4 cups zucchini. Continue cooking the tomatoes stirring frequently until the liquid is pretty much cooked off. Add the zucchini then cook for a few minutes softening the squash (only about a minute ore two). Remove from heat and spoon into a small casserole dish. Next whisk up about 4 eggs and add 1/4 cup shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese (really, either one will work. Heck, you could even use cheddar, pepper jack, whatever. Cheese really comes down to personal preference, or in my case, whatever kind I happen to have handy in my fridge :). Pour over tomatoes and zucchini then sprinkle with salt and pepper then mix gently. Place in a preheated oven to 350 and bake for 10-13 minutes or until eggs are completely baked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomato Zucchini Baked Eggs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Tablespoons olive oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-4 medium sized tomatoes diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2-3/4 cups shredded zucchini</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese (save some for sprinkling on top)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350. In a medium sized pan warm oil then cook tomatoes stirring constantly until the liquid is cooked off. Add the zucchini and cook for a few minutes until tender. Remove from heat and spoon into a greased small casserole dish. Whisk eggs together and add cheese. Pour over tomato squash mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir lightly. Sprinkle the extra cheese on top then bake for roughly 10-15 minutes or until eggs are slightly browned on top and cooked thoroughly. </span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-57086033730106338182012-09-11T13:36:00.000-06:002012-09-11T13:56:53.712-06:00Half Marathon......I did it.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, here it is. My official report from my very firstest half marathon. First off, I finished. After all those months and miles of running I finally completed my goal September 1st 2012. I will say that this particular race was Much harder than I had anticipated. I knew it would be hard as the course would take me literally up the face of a mountain and I would gain over 1,100 feet of elevation. I have to admit.....there WAS walking, there was cursing, and there was thoughts of giving up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The morning of the race it was POURING rain. I mean, cold, wet, miserable. YUCK. I'm honestly thinking this is the day I have been waiting for and it's pouring? Regretfully I did not follow Hal Higdon's advice from his Marathon book I had been religiously reading and didn't plan for inclement weather. Thankfully my dad provided me with a waterproof jacket which I was most grateful for. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once I arrived at the beginning of the race the butterflies and anxieties hit. I really get intimidated when I see so many more seasoned runners and the reality of going running 13.1 hard miles was hitting home. Now, I don't know WHY those fears gets the best of me. It's not like I'm racing against anyone. I had nothing to prove aside from just doing the race. Anyway, enough of that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, the blessing in disguise to this half marathon journey was the icky kucky rain. It literally stopped within the first mile and it made for a cool relaxing run instead of the hot sweaty one I was expecting. Now.....like I had mentioned before. The course was much harder than I expected. Now I KNEW it would be tough....just didn't realize how honest to goodness grueling it would be. The whole first half was all up hill.....but were talking STEEP. Even the hardcore seasoned runners were walking at the steepest points. Now.....I had also mentioned there were thoughts of giving up. I won't lie. Miles 3-5 were the hardest. The worst was a stretch about 2 miles long that was so intense with an long long hill climb with no breaks and no flattening of the course. There were a few moments I thought "I can't do this, I should turn around". Then the thoughts of humiliation facing all the runners behind me trucking along and I had been the one to give up. Even when people were passing me left and right, I could not even muster up my competitiveness to speed up and not allow another runner get passed me. They just kept on moving past me and I did not care. I wasn't in it to have the fastest time. I was in it to finish. I won't lie. It was a difficult time in the race....especially knowing I wasn't even halfway through and I still had miles more to go. One thing I found to help me continue is keeping my nose to the ground I wouldn't get so discouraged. If I looked ahead, all I would see is the runners ahead of me continuing going up the grueling ascent. Realizing that there was STILL more hills ahead of me was SO disheartening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally.....I reached the aid station which was just before halfway the halfway point. It was a great feeling knowing that I had made it to the top. It was all downhill from there. Not that running downhill is easy...but gravity has to help you out coming DOWN the mountain right? Well, even if gravity wouldn't help my legs to carry me on my descent, it was a nice thought anyway and at least there were no more hills :) At the aid station I ended up chatting with some runners who were keeping roughly the same pace with me. Most of the race I was alone being stuck in between the fast pack and slow pack. Anyway we got talking and they were shocked to find that this was my first half marathon. Especially that I was keeping their pace. I guess they had run the Bear Lake Monster three times before and have completed many full marathons *insert inferiority complex....*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What did give me some confidence and made me smile inside is that the girl told me that if I could run THIS race, I could easily do a marathon. I believe it. The Bear Lake Monster Half was one of the hardest physical things I have ever done in my life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to continue my story, at about mile 8 or 9 the couple I was chit chatting with got way ahead of me. It didn't bother me one bit. They are way more experienced runners than I am and was pretty experienced with this particular race. So I was back to being by myself just trucking along jamming to my tunes on the ipod shuffle. Now you want to know something crazy?? Well at mile 10 I was feeling GREAT! Like really really good. I was stretching out and REALLY running. It was tough though because at this point, my thighs felt like they were on fire. Running down such steep inclines really was doing a number on them. I think a big part of what was making me feel so good is knowing I only had 3 miles to go. A half an hour. My daily run. I can DO this. Now....what's even crazier is around mile 11 I passed the couple who I chit chatted with and who had gotten so far ahead of me. Then I passed two more runners at mile 12 <span class="emote_text">:)</span><img alt="smile" class="emote_img" height="1" src="https://s-static.ak.facebook.com/images/blank.gif" title=":)" width="1" /> I honestly was a bit in shock. I actually lost count of how many people I had passed at the end. Now, I will admit. the last mile I believe was the hardest of the race. The course had flattened and my friend gravity had disappeared. I could SEE where the end of the race was, but I swear the closer I got, the further away it seemed haha! So, I put my nose to the ground again, found a great Metallica song, and just put one foot in front of the other. There was quite the inner argument going on inside my little head. I really did want to walk so bad. Like even just 10 steps. But I kept telling myself no. I had less than 9 minutes to go, then 8, then 7, and well.....you get the picture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What brought tears to my eyes is when my sweet, wonderful, supportive family recognized me at the end. My sweet daughter and my cousin Kevin started running along with me to help me to the finish line. Honestly, I couldn't say one word at that point. In fact, there was most likely much whimpering, huffing, puffing, and groaning at that point. All whining aside.....I passed the finish line. I through my hands in the air and hugged anyone who would allow a red faced, sweaty, overly exhausted 30 something year old to do so ;) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What an experience. Ya know.....I have always had a hard time doing long term planning. Not that I don't follow through, it's just the actual making the goal, working towards it, then finishing. I'm so glad I did. All the hard work.....sometimes painful.....sometimes sick.....most of the time tired.....day after day, week after week, for months really paid off. I am still shocked I did it....and I have to admit, with a very respectable time of 2 hours 26 minutes and 26 seconds. I also have to toot the horn a bit....I actually placed fourth overall in the women's division. Not novice, age group, ect. Of all the women, I got fourth :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So everyone, thank you for reading. I really do appreciate you taking time to read my little half marathon story. It truly was an experience I doubt I will be forgetting anytime soon. Stay tuned to hear about a full marathon recap next year hehehehe :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now how about some pictures?</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rainy rainy morning</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trucking along.....before I realized I was being "watched" </span></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigB88VC2fncQThjIUX-IWWFC6zTXjmkGWcNVwPiyR6nQwiNEnjj1FvYLfoITInsFllUWpeAMtzPtV4K4NfW1jFfP8sQ2RaLdTTeUzswY5Ag4ZC0aszLnB6AOY_0n1ZOn2rDIycetfPgA8/s1600/DSCN1182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigB88VC2fncQThjIUX-IWWFC6zTXjmkGWcNVwPiyR6nQwiNEnjj1FvYLfoITInsFllUWpeAMtzPtV4K4NfW1jFfP8sQ2RaLdTTeUzswY5Ag4ZC0aszLnB6AOY_0n1ZOn2rDIycetfPgA8/s320/DSCN1182.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Dork Jill realizing there was an audience</strong> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MA_K9THcXvW9nFZeRNFWBYZIVM8lzI4g5jxvdditdK_oHiy9J0qs267yzvdvCvkHFs4sJ8X34qF4sML4sktVgTO-J8HnwC0WauLoZ0rINi15enO2DuV1IKCGZl0VZil6Z_7rmPJzxHs/s1600/DSCN1181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MA_K9THcXvW9nFZeRNFWBYZIVM8lzI4g5jxvdditdK_oHiy9J0qs267yzvdvCvkHFs4sJ8X34qF4sML4sktVgTO-J8HnwC0WauLoZ0rINi15enO2DuV1IKCGZl0VZil6Z_7rmPJzxHs/s320/DSCN1181.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> While I was running my Half, my cousin Kevin (in the red shorts) and my daughter Kassidy (ONLY 6 year old) ran the 5k :)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>And my mommy raced the 5k too! Because of the course being mismarked, they actually ended up doing just short of a 10k race. I just LOVE my family and I'm so excited they are picking up running. Kevin is such an inspiration as he is the only one in my family who has ran an entire marathon :)</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The fam did it!!!!!!!!!!!!</strong> </span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here is my wonderful family waiting for me. My Grandpa, Mom, Daughter, and brother :)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Now.....here is the where the race ends. Now that itty bitty little bit of a hill going up to the lighthouse was just pure diabolical as you had to run UP it to finish your race. After all the hills I had JUST ran, my legs were jelly and I almost didn't make it up. Ok, that was exaggerating, but it WAS hard to run up at the end haha!</strong> </span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The end is near!!!!! "I think I can....I think I can"</span></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiopscRBHQ3ikZUZo3kgMjyAnsYUCY8_aXMUOGoX5q5Ly75SJSxGo23vJjb0a5zrlnVh_KmqCBkmYedE5Q5OXCC25OT6KjFvVB3lhr3AzxhLyFkvGCykvV_AtpeMFY9qRl0o617zrD4mQ/s1600/DSCN1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiopscRBHQ3ikZUZo3kgMjyAnsYUCY8_aXMUOGoX5q5Ly75SJSxGo23vJjb0a5zrlnVh_KmqCBkmYedE5Q5OXCC25OT6KjFvVB3lhr3AzxhLyFkvGCykvV_AtpeMFY9qRl0o617zrD4mQ/s320/DSCN1206.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Out of the whole race, this last little stretch running with my daughter brought a tear to my eye. I just love my little kid and she helped me to the finish line :)</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>It's OVER and I did it :)</strong> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYV9iJQMQL0QWpf7M0ojGM9GPupX5dWhYV2zEGY6TmWbc6G0fgJZKSzYh6R0RWcrqZ9wA2yXjmJEluAVLUsl5XK8vn4Nay4sDjgMVpsYk0nhpfINQ2uMwlL-V379gUzVjCiEOXWhmdLwA/s1600/DSCN1210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYV9iJQMQL0QWpf7M0ojGM9GPupX5dWhYV2zEGY6TmWbc6G0fgJZKSzYh6R0RWcrqZ9wA2yXjmJEluAVLUsl5XK8vn4Nay4sDjgMVpsYk0nhpfINQ2uMwlL-V379gUzVjCiEOXWhmdLwA/s320/DSCN1210.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Yes, it WAS a monster haha!</strong> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7rzKwuSPBeg1QUsPkwbqP0IrlNtA1jjeZ_CuZBOeD2BPzlgb0gPcEj0zTRfMt3s4m5BnlOJH_TzMjanJHIvJgwhGQpJHQneXFiY25T0EZXDR8W4je596uT3SbjA70kSETWx9B0NNKO0/s1600/DSCN1211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7rzKwuSPBeg1QUsPkwbqP0IrlNtA1jjeZ_CuZBOeD2BPzlgb0gPcEj0zTRfMt3s4m5BnlOJH_TzMjanJHIvJgwhGQpJHQneXFiY25T0EZXDR8W4je596uT3SbjA70kSETWx9B0NNKO0/s320/DSCN1211.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>My wonderful family :) I love them so much! I can't wait to do it again NEXT year :)</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5arMkKAqRK-0jOYXOKz2dVOhXjgqoELzFd8pDIJ-NUS96UD8R8SamSxIv49csxSELx18oYegl1JabPde8w9_1zcz_YbC60TNHFnXNXzNYgbH4ViaoSiGquyfXs7CpnK3f0VK0sl6X0A/s1600/DSCN1214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5arMkKAqRK-0jOYXOKz2dVOhXjgqoELzFd8pDIJ-NUS96UD8R8SamSxIv49csxSELx18oYegl1JabPde8w9_1zcz_YbC60TNHFnXNXzNYgbH4ViaoSiGquyfXs7CpnK3f0VK0sl6X0A/s320/DSCN1214.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-2101056711935357332012-09-10T13:26:00.002-06:002012-09-10T13:26:37.998-06:00Plum Salsa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Plum Salsa</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what does one do with a bumper crop of jalapenos, Armenian cucumbers, and a very generous neighbor who gives you two grocery sacks filled to the brim with freshly picked plums? You get creative. Now, I remembered a while back I had stumbled across some interesting salsa recipes on Martha Stewart's website. So after a bit of Googling I found the recipe and promptly got to dicing and a slicing. Now, you don't HAVE to use Armenian cucumbers. I just happened to use them because I had about 3 foot long buggars, so that's what I used. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz_p7QLuJbIpMvojNv8Tnk52VjbuINDE4Rv89PYshinOrLkpUsKzZ81a7YUEZJ6GPI84cTaCSJl-RInASE2XV9N06Hqa5QSQ52abmNvk3BibQYY9244ay1is410c6RvgaS6yXM385wJs/s1600/DSCN9829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz_p7QLuJbIpMvojNv8Tnk52VjbuINDE4Rv89PYshinOrLkpUsKzZ81a7YUEZJ6GPI84cTaCSJl-RInASE2XV9N06Hqa5QSQ52abmNvk3BibQYY9244ay1is410c6RvgaS6yXM385wJs/s320/DSCN9829.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isn't that a pretty looking salsa? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lNhqiZWRQX9FDmr9xHL8Ng_lM9-tZtQNaYRNw1iiX092Pc1pXTGhbJcZGDdeYRjiyMmtL17xN1XkfTBRbcSXKy4h3EsK8e4ic695kry77LK0j05_WSIV9shkUI90uvZA_kUQucaiB6w/s1600/DSCN9827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lNhqiZWRQX9FDmr9xHL8Ng_lM9-tZtQNaYRNw1iiX092Pc1pXTGhbJcZGDdeYRjiyMmtL17xN1XkfTBRbcSXKy4h3EsK8e4ic695kry77LK0j05_WSIV9shkUI90uvZA_kUQucaiB6w/s320/DSCN9827.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, go make you some then get yourself a yummy Beanitos chip and enjoy! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plum Salsa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 lb diced plums</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 small/medium cucumber diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 - 1 tablespoon lime juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon ground garlic</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon ground ginger</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 finely diced jalapeno (seeds removed)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toss all ingredients in a bowl and let sit at least 30 minutes before serving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**I PROMISE to post results of my first half marathon. I'm just waiting for pictures from OTHER people's cameras ;) **</span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-31755684258420610312012-08-25T08:08:00.000-06:002012-08-25T08:09:23.425-06:00In one week.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi everyone! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So today, I'm excited to say that in one week I am officially running my very first Half Marathon. Now, let me tell you a little secret. I love to run. Well....NOW that is. My darling Uncle Brad introduced me into 5k's last year and you know what? I hated them. Actually, I don't think "hate" really explained my feelings towards the roughly 3 mile races. More like abhor, despise, and yes, hate. Anyway, so you want to know another funny thing? Well, the very firstest 5k race my uncle had talked me into entering was at our family's vacation destination, Bear Lake. Anyway, here I'm thinking..."I'm fit, I can run 3 miles, and I DON'T want my 50+ uncle to beat me cuz I'm young and spry" right? Well, let me tell you that there is nothing more humbling than seeing your elderly uncle fly right past you and there isn't one darned thing you can do about it. I gave a feeble wave and attempted to utter "see you at the end" whilst trying to keep from having an asthmatic attack haha! Anyway, long story short, I DID continue to enter 5k races with my uncle last year although each time I was running them I kept thinking "why did I agree to this"? Then of course, uncle would fly past me and I would arrive at the finish line bright red faced, dripping with sweat, MINUTES later. I did however manage to make a new PR (personal record) at each race I would do. My last race of last year was a race for the Celiacs at Utah's gluten free Expo. Yay for Celiacs!!!!! Anyway, I did my run in roughly 27 minutes (which was much better than my 35 minute first 5k time). Brad, my uncle, of course destroyed me timewise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, this year, I made a new years resolution. To run a half marathon. Please don't tell me why I made that choice. I'm not looking to lose weight and with my business/work I stay in pretty descent physical fitness. Maybe I chose that goal to really step outside my comfort levels. See, as I hinted previously, I do not like running. At all. So to get myself to run 13.1 miles continuously would really be a challenge. I had one contingency with running the half marathon. I would take my training slowly. Not rush. I didn't want to get injured and I wanted to leave room for me to have off weeks/days in case I got sick or my business was too demanding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of this year. I have been able to complete some mini-goals that I have made (to go with my HM training). One is to run a 24 minute 5k. Which I did at a charity run in July :) Another....is to beat uncle in a race. As much as I would like to say that I quietly enjoyed my win and was a humble competitor, I have to say that I DIDN'T. Sorry, but a little face rubbing was in order. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here it is. Almost September and guess what? I think I am ready :) Honestly, I have to say, I'm proud of myself for sticking things through and keeping up with my goal. It has not been easy. There were sometimes I did not want to run, but I did anyway. There were times I was so tired from work, or horses, or from accidentally ingesting gluten, or losing my motivation but I still managed to keep lacing up my sneakers to head out. I will say. It's a great feeling knowing you have pushed yourself and challenged yourself. Honestly, if YOU don't do it.....no one will. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now my race that I picked isn't your standard flat road Half Marathon. I of course had to pick a trail run that will gain 1,300 feet of elevation and be up at Bear Lake which is even a higher elevation than where I live in Salt Lake. I chose this race because my entire family will be there (Mom and Dad, Grandpa, cousin Kevin, AND my Brother and Sis-Inlaw who are coming up from Moab). I also won on a Facebook contest a free entry. So even though I'm a bit stir crazy for signing up for THIS race. I had some other motivators. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a linky to view the map I will be running. </span><br />
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<a href="http://bearlakemonsterrun.com/course-map/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bear Lake Monster Race Map</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, so please, everyone, cross your fingers, toes, eyes, arms, legs, and any other appendage for me next Saturday haha! My goal is not to finish and to run the whole thing. I'm not looking to be breaking any land speed records. Just to finish :) I will be sure and update you all on how it goes and of course post pictures :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of pictures, here are some fun pictures of previous runs :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The very firstest 5k Race ever with the uncle :)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ph06mWEUtt-la-HO_XrzkZZf2J_rXxqAEHqg8gfkbZg4auRkh7G8V_MfWH5aeaq776Q1ivrlAT2bfJQAohzASG3zIuutvrPE-tYn_RUcq1-vmC_-FA7rseW3TLXhQ0QzEGE3TXjDYYs/s1600/DSCN0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ph06mWEUtt-la-HO_XrzkZZf2J_rXxqAEHqg8gfkbZg4auRkh7G8V_MfWH5aeaq776Q1ivrlAT2bfJQAohzASG3zIuutvrPE-tYn_RUcq1-vmC_-FA7rseW3TLXhQ0QzEGE3TXjDYYs/s320/DSCN0072.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The after....."me thinking WHY did I agree to this?"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6-zbOoGJg9wP-akfSJk8m8BrKDXbyp2sCzsZ2B3OSsvHZ6pLJaQIUZGDmrr9x26J6z1N9VfAiR2vtMOtPTJ2z_l9haYYGrykocCM-pSQ1_gcYVq4Llyh0L7mlKKbKP3JaqAzNLfQY-I/s1600/DSCN5623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6-zbOoGJg9wP-akfSJk8m8BrKDXbyp2sCzsZ2B3OSsvHZ6pLJaQIUZGDmrr9x26J6z1N9VfAiR2vtMOtPTJ2z_l9haYYGrykocCM-pSQ1_gcYVq4Llyh0L7mlKKbKP3JaqAzNLfQY-I/s320/DSCN5623.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Second 5k race (racing with Elizabeth Smart). Note the most awesome red sweaty face and thinking once again "why did I agree to this"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Us all with Elizabeth (she is on my left). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTGRwjtJv0VKHpJUugz5oJ0nB4h1pem7zHzG8sZUvwfnvxx0K-8a9rG_NA4XPdcRX5h-8i50dRdQ6J6e0GkTK7XMxjUsbwNPQgIifDCi59vKH6o8ptkiw-A8jNcAZHzwKbTdFauXFnXQ/s1600/race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTGRwjtJv0VKHpJUugz5oJ0nB4h1pem7zHzG8sZUvwfnvxx0K-8a9rG_NA4XPdcRX5h-8i50dRdQ6J6e0GkTK7XMxjUsbwNPQgIifDCi59vKH6o8ptkiw-A8jNcAZHzwKbTdFauXFnXQ/s1600/race.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My PR 5k of 24:15 :) Kyle and Kass ran this one. I am so proud of her!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpOheagvC-HGez3qG5YXrN28iWtY0MZX290CLidDQPJHDa5bC8YE-5_QBW5P1kh6BbKTlEpxETU-1-PsiP3qP4h-rctw60wDVtVJZYMrwYJy9R-36wMgqpgz7Y4_dO8cXyYVyEzcGiZU/s1600/race2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpOheagvC-HGez3qG5YXrN28iWtY0MZX290CLidDQPJHDa5bC8YE-5_QBW5P1kh6BbKTlEpxETU-1-PsiP3qP4h-rctw60wDVtVJZYMrwYJy9R-36wMgqpgz7Y4_dO8cXyYVyEzcGiZU/s320/race2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and the race in April with Brad and his boys (my cousins Kevin and Scott). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, thanks for indulging me with my little running story. Hopefully I will be alive after my Half Marathon trail run to give you all an update hehehe. Thanks for reading!</span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-32498374123670778602012-08-12T16:30:00.000-06:002012-08-12T16:30:46.393-06:00Summer Macaroni Salad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Summer Macaroni Salad</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summer foods. I just love them. Barbecues, fresh home grown vegetables, light and refreshing tastes, and ice cold lemonade. There is just something to be said about throwing meat on the grill then serving it up with a cool fresh salad that just says "Summer". It's those no-fuss meals we all have come to love that seems to create some of the best family memories. I remember being at my grandma's house with my parents, brother, aunt, uncle, and cousins all enjoying each other's company outside while my dad man's the grill and my grandma and mom man the kitchen. When the meal was all said and done at least ONE of us would dump a glass of ice cold water down another's shirt and that was that. Another epic soaking battle had commenced. Those memories are some of the best I can remember and I know I will always remember them. Family, good food, and fun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of good food and summer fun. How about an easy tasty summer salad recipe?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups cooked gluten free pasta </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup thawed frozen peas (honestly, I just throw them in the salad frozen and allow them to thaw naturally</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 celery rib diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 carrot finely diced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup minced red onion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup mayo</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons cider vinegar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon celery salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon ground pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mix in a pourable measuring cup the mayo, vinegar, cider vinegar, celery salt, and pepper. In a larger bowl combine pasta, peas, celery, carrot, and onion. Pour sauce over and carefully mix the ingredients all together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's all! I hope you enjoy this recipe and hope you enjoy some fun family barbecue's this summer :)</span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-60296443202028030962012-08-10T16:05:00.004-06:002013-01-03T05:24:43.956-07:00Grilled Eggplant Risotto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Grilled Eggplant Risotto</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, so I have decided.....I adore eggplant. Seriously folks. I could have a love affair with the deep dark purpley (yes, another Jillism) creamy vegetable. Ok, I admit, that was a bit much....but in all seriousness I love eggplant. Comfort food extraordinaire. I love how it absorbs any sort of flavor it's cooked in and I adore it's rich creaminess. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So today I made eggplant risotto. After a very very busy day doing my sign business and missing out on eating lunch I needed something to stick to my ribs tonight. As time consuming as making risotto is, it really isn't a difficult dish to prepare. Just lots of stirring. Which was fine. I just sat on my keester, played on my netbook, and stirred. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqoGE1QNaT8bIjg6_v-FuqFN_VlyyRUd9XUF9w4KeJ3h7MQs_lMGmDTqLszlIsLy85wwElbbbZneN_6mMGuSMRJuMzD4_IiCD9A_0yfDbHklSe86Sn_nYUDvMqGAOMprVzoLbSztkU6c/s1600/DSCN9891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqoGE1QNaT8bIjg6_v-FuqFN_VlyyRUd9XUF9w4KeJ3h7MQs_lMGmDTqLszlIsLy85wwElbbbZneN_6mMGuSMRJuMzD4_IiCD9A_0yfDbHklSe86Sn_nYUDvMqGAOMprVzoLbSztkU6c/s320/DSCN9891.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nJQ9D9xSXyifrG2et2YACkZyg7SXea-D-XPR1E2aTkBD5BULoOPxu3AjltCLiWbsSyBdZHHL7zaaD381SyUIeV_AxjlRzlhFTYLuwWFfMMOfkUB6ge2_cbT3RInPEfS8l602pV8t0fg/s1600/DSCN9892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nJQ9D9xSXyifrG2et2YACkZyg7SXea-D-XPR1E2aTkBD5BULoOPxu3AjltCLiWbsSyBdZHHL7zaaD381SyUIeV_AxjlRzlhFTYLuwWFfMMOfkUB6ge2_cbT3RInPEfS8l602pV8t0fg/s320/DSCN9892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the recipe breakdown. I thoroughly recommend making this guys. It's full of earthy, starchy, creamy goodness. </span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grilled Eggplant Risotto</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 large eggplant cut into 1" thick slices</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">olive oil (for brushing on the eggplant)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup finely minced onion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons finely minced shallot</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2-3 crushed garlic cloves </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups arborio rice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup white wine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 cups hot chicken or vegetable broth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup milk (or heavy cream if you happen to have some. Otherwise, milk works fine)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warm up your grill and brush the olive oil on each side of the eggplant then lightly salt. Place on the grill on medium/low heat. While your eggplant is cooking prepare the onion, shallot, and garlic. Melt the butter and add the remaining olive oil on a large skillet on medium heat. Once melted, add the rice, onion, shallot, and garlic stirring frequently. Add the wine and allow to fully cook/absorb into the rice. Next, add the broth at 1/4 cup increments stirring frequently allowing the broth to cook into the rice before adding more. After about 10 minutes, turn the eggplants on the grill, then cook an additional 10 minutes on the other side. When eggplant is completely cooked remove peel and place in a blender along with the milk. Blend until smooth and set aside. When the rice is cooked stir in the eggplant then season with salt and pepper.<strong></strong></span></div>
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Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-21697026873456975732012-08-08T16:02:00.000-06:002012-08-24T10:30:24.357-06:00Hot and Spicy Pickled Peppers, Carrots, and Cauliflower<div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <strong>Spicy Pickled Veggie Goodness</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, that's what this post is all about. First off, aside from my adoration of ginger, my second love would be pickled anything. Dilly beans, pickled peppers, good ol' regular pickles, pickled beets, getting the picture here? Well, today, I decided to pickle. I was inspired to do some preserving as today was pretty much the first REAL day of harvesting from the garden. My daughter and I were full of giggles going from plant to plant picking and digging and getting our hands all covered in dirt. Good times and great memories :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, so I have to share a picture of my little sweety and our crop of home grown goodness before I get into the pickling fun. (please forgive the fact that these are cell phone pics)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkEuJOdvWOuXrg3ZVe913AdnAAnbTrnYdVwpA0BDvTC3fBZ01_X0VjcAyVusVfJfcoIQwiocMZ7Ux7jdsLpx1FEjMkthuv5cpnmYcUj_BS_ST1cPo_in0vGy5BW3G8V79PivyHBAREPM/s1600/garden2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkEuJOdvWOuXrg3ZVe913AdnAAnbTrnYdVwpA0BDvTC3fBZ01_X0VjcAyVusVfJfcoIQwiocMZ7Ux7jdsLpx1FEjMkthuv5cpnmYcUj_BS_ST1cPo_in0vGy5BW3G8V79PivyHBAREPM/s320/garden2.jpg" width="224" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the squash blossom in the ear was her idea. She kept giggling that she was the princess of "Garden Land". </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-01AzXKaKPbS8ynkiSne03H-vQUwEwmzKen__pFrTrAIOKi84FyKGPCyy_su7yKXq-FG9iqdL9CN9VwW5kvnAKv3jMltaRVvxR667lEpS6nqvlTdNgSS5oZsacSGt9nCVL45D_fpUdc/s1600/garden1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-01AzXKaKPbS8ynkiSne03H-vQUwEwmzKen__pFrTrAIOKi84FyKGPCyy_su7yKXq-FG9iqdL9CN9VwW5kvnAKv3jMltaRVvxR667lEpS6nqvlTdNgSS5oZsacSGt9nCVL45D_fpUdc/s320/garden1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yay for vegetables!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So my pickling adventure starts with Rachel Ray's Giardiniera recipe found in the July/August issue. Now I changed it up a bit to utilize my gypsy peppers that sort of went a bit crazy this year. I also doubled the brine as it just did not seem like enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now here is my adaptation of the recipe</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyJgs_2pTPT9HMWUwAe3R_h-0zEJgvaPss4bNeZ01ybco6xr5fptU1_iyS582P_yJB0uu7p5XPCS0MP-_ZwTs60kt7XUb_dto4PuIXUJRKxdgySnqdKDPACvlfnT0T4lfWKQO8njBC7k/s1600/DSCN9889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyJgs_2pTPT9HMWUwAe3R_h-0zEJgvaPss4bNeZ01ybco6xr5fptU1_iyS582P_yJB0uu7p5XPCS0MP-_ZwTs60kt7XUb_dto4PuIXUJRKxdgySnqdKDPACvlfnT0T4lfWKQO8njBC7k/s320/DSCN9889.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Hot and Spicy Pickled Vegetables</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups cauliflower florets</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups sliced carrots (cut into bite sized pieces)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ice water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 1/2 cup cider vinegar (her recipe calls for white wine)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2/3 cups sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup shredded fennel (hers calls for 2 cups)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup pearl onions (hers calls for 2 cups)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 fennel bulb sliced into 1" pieces</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups gypsy or bell peppers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup sliced jalapenos</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 cups water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 dried hot red peppers (or 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 teaspoons mustard seeds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon celery seeds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a large pot of boiling water cook the cauliflower and carrots for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water once 2 minutes is up. In the same pot, bring the water, sugar, and salt to a boil. Add the cooled carrots, cauliflower, and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat. With a slotted spoon transfer vegetables into hot sterilized jars. Ladle in the hot pickling liquid leaving 1/2" headspace. Seal jars, then process jars for 15 minutes in a water bath. This made 4 half pints. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Enjoy and happy canning everyone!</span></div>
</div></div>Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8345430263131920093.post-34532538455550642702012-08-03T10:56:00.000-06:002012-08-03T10:56:04.129-06:00Fresh Spring Rolls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi all! The pink cowgirl and her family are all packed up and ready for our summer vacation to Bear Lake. Pictures and stories to follow :) I thought now would be a good time to leave you with a fun little dish before I officially hit the road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one easy and great little side dish you can whip up in a jiffy for a snack, appetizer, or side for an Asian inspired dinner. You can even throw in some cooked shrimp or tofu for a light and fresh lunch. Plus, what's even better is that they are naturally gluten free! No craning your brain for gluten free substitutions. Plus, all ingredients are so affordable and easily obtained which is great for us penny pinchin divas :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, to start, you will need rice paper wraps and rice noodles. All of which can be found at your local Asian store. Both can be bought for less than $5. Which is great considering you will spend $5 just to buy 3-4 made rolls at a restaurant. Most rice paper wraps come in packages of 100. You do the math, my brain is not talented to break down the cost savings. All I know is that I can make them myself at home for MUCH much cheaper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next, you need to assemble your filling ingredients. To keep it simple, I like to just add fresh cilantro (roughly chopped), pre-cooked rice noodles (boiled with at least 1/2 teaspoon salt added to the water), chopped lettuce, and julienned carrots), and one big bowl of very warm water. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take a single rice paper wrap and gently dip it in the water and ensure it is completely wet. I like to keep dipping and rotating to ensure it's all moist. You will feel it begin to soften up. Once wet, place it on your cutting board and start to put your ingredients on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To wrap your roll, bring two sides over on top of the ingredients then start rolling it from the other end (think rolling/wrapping up a burrito). This is a great little video showing you how to wrap them up:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeQa5RDcnPY&feature=fvwrel"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrapping Up Spring Rolls</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once your fresh little spring rolls are all wrapped up, grab some of your favorite sweet chili sauce and enjoy!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZscTSdVOxG68SjtWVEXELTCAEl8ZSjRc0U3jkDAL_o9YxCpPXDGu-m9z89qXklQt6VJR5CbQPcwUPffIatNUwc8JIZkayjd03X93ybWQ-CKv8FL09i-DFxNZqJmWdhxalBvcwFxBD2eA/s1600/DSCN9797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZscTSdVOxG68SjtWVEXELTCAEl8ZSjRc0U3jkDAL_o9YxCpPXDGu-m9z89qXklQt6VJR5CbQPcwUPffIatNUwc8JIZkayjd03X93ybWQ-CKv8FL09i-DFxNZqJmWdhxalBvcwFxBD2eA/s320/DSCN9797.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fresh Spring Rolls</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rice Paper Wraps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">chopped lettuce</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">julienned carrots</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cooked rice noodles cooked in water with at least 1/2 teaspoon salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Optional Add ins:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cooked tofu</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cooked shrimp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scrambled eggs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">minced peanuts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">green onions</span></div>
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</div>Jill Wilkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01039855064318707711noreply@blogger.com2