Grease Lightning! 1950's Diner

So we decided that we would visit this cute little diner today since its right around the corner from my house. When I walked in, I loved it immediately! It was the perfect little place with the perfect music. We were the first of two customers in the hour we were there...not a good sign.

So we get our menus and prepare to order. The waitress was kinda scary and made me feel very uncomfortable. She was slow and did not take our orders as we recited them to her. It was very hard to sit there as we waited for our food.

One great thing about this themed place was the Owner. She was very pleasant and has a Marilyn Monroe fetish just like me.

I hate to say this about people in business, but when you run a food joint you have to know what you are doing. The first thing I thought was "What would Gordon Ramsey think of this place?".

So I wanted to use the bathroom and I thought It might be in the back section of the place... BUT it wasn't. In fact, you have to go outside and around the building to use the bathroom. Say What!

Let me tell you the food didn't get much better. The bread on the California Club was hard like a rock around the edges and soggy in the center. The chicken breast was so big that I actually took it off the sandwich and cut it in half so it would lay flat on the bread. Typically you have some flavor when you mix things like tomato, avocado, bacon and condiments, but this was not the case. The sandwich was an epic fail.

Although I do appreciate a good diner, I think this will be my last visit to this "Very Cute" diner. Unfortunately, I do not appreciate the food or the very wierd service.

Until Next Time.. Happy Eating :-))))))

Farmers Market Fun

Farmer's Market Fun

I took the day off of work.. So not me, but I needed to take the day and get my kids to the Farmer's Market. The boys and I had so much fun together. They got their faces painted and they played games with some of the other kids who visited that day.

What a time they had. It was such fun getting to watch them have a good time. They didn't have a bunch of different designs to choose from, however they did find one or two they liked.

At the end of the day, we brought home some cucumbers and some really cool soap made from goats milk. We also found a bunch of different vendors that will deliver to your home. That's not something you find everyday.

Happy Ending :-)









 

Pay It Forward... Part 2

Let me tell you about my best friend... Isn't that how the song goes?

 

So if you read part one of" Pay It Forward", then you know the story. If you haven't... Go back and read it then come here and read this one.. Ok Ok here we go. My best friend and I hang out every Friday morning. Recently we experienced a "Pay it forward" moment.

 

So she tells me on our latest Friday hangout that since then, she has been paying it forward on several occasions.. In line at Starbucks, she has paid for the people behind us on more than one occasion. Then she tells me while eating breakfast in a Café with her son, she chose an elderly couple and paid for their breakfast too...

 

This experience has changed her in such a way and to be honest.. I can not explain it. Never have I seen such a person devoted to keeping up such a "Good Faith" system. She is like totally on a mission to "Pay It Forward" everywhere she goes.

 

She is not a rich person. She is an average person, who works 3rd shift and doesn't make much money. Just think, if a person who actually had the means to do it on a larger scale. What a difference it would make is someone's life.

 

My BEST friend does this often... Just think of what it could mean to someone if you did it too. I would love to have the money to make a difference in (to be more specific) a child's life. One that would impact them until they were grown. Just think.... Another "Pay It Forward" kind of person in this world.

 

My grandmother Helen was very much that kind of person... Such inspiration in people makes me think that in the end, this world just might be an ok place.

 

People... I challenge you today to "Pay It Forward" to someone who is least expecting it. Do a good deed without recognition. Play a bigger part in your life.. It can be one of the most rewarding things you have ever done...

 

 

THIS post is dedicated to you K.S. With all of my love and Support

Cake is not just for special occasions :-))

Cake has been such a big part of our history. We make cake for so many different reasons. Birthdays and anniversaries are some of the more special occasions to make cake. There are so many different ways to make cake and frosting.

There are many different shows on Reality TV such as Cake Boss and Cupcake Wars. But one of the most recent was a show called "Georgetown Cupcakes"... They recently aired a show on making 10,000 cupcakes for the solders in Afghanistan.

Just an example of how cake can make an impact.

Making cake has been a great past time of mine. I opened my small Coffee Shop back in 2010 and I made a special cake especially for my customers. It's called Kentucky Butter Cake. I sold one of these everyday. I used to serve this cake with Carmel drizzled over each piece.

I recently purchased a cake pan especially to bake with my son's. I purchased a Nordic Ware Ice Cream Cone Cake Pan. You can purchase this pan at www.nordicware.com. I also purchased a Cuisipro Cupcake Corer. This item can be purchased at www.amazon.com or at any local culinary store.

It's always a special time when I bake with my sons. Today, Christopher was the only baker. We has such a great time mixing our batter and filling our cakes with the peach compote. I made a special banana cream cheese frosting that we froze to make look like real ice cream.

 

It was a great time with lots of blunders... When we frosted the first cupcake, the frosting melted all down the sides. So we had to let the frosting freeze just a bit longer. Christopher got to eat 2 of them before anyone else. He had such a great time. He loves to make food.

 

 

Until next time... Happy Eating :-))))

 

 

 

Fresh Peach Compote Recipe

 

Peach Compote

Who doesn't love fresh fruit compote on anything.. Some of the best things to spoon it over are waffles, pancakes and especially over Ice Cream. There is nothing like going outside and picking your favorite fruit and making a delicious topping for your favorite breakfast or dessert.

Peaches are such a wonderful thing to eat. There are many ways to make your peaches a wonderful treat. I chose to make a compote for cupcake filling. All it takes is a little effort. Cut your fruit and add it to a saucepan. Then heat it on high with some butter and sugar until it's boiling. Then take the heat down to medium for about 45 minutes or until most of the juice has evaporated. You're left with this wonderful and lovely smelling treat.

The last step is to put the mix in the food processor once it has cooled and blend. Spoon over your favorite ice cream or some lovely crepes made from your favorite gluten free recipe.

Until next time.. Happy Eating :-)))

 

 

 

10-12 med Peaches

 

1/2 cup sugar

 

2 tbsp. butter (salted)

 

1 lrg saucepan

 

Cut the peaches into slices. Add sugar and butter. Heat on high until boiling. Turn the heat down to medium for about 45 minutes until most of the juice has evaporated. Put the mix into small containers and freeze.

 

This will keep for 12 months in the freezer. Make sure you write the date on your containers.

Asia Wok for Lunch.. The Atmosphere was Great, BUT the Food was......

Not what my dear friend and I expected or ordered. That's not the biggest issue with this restaurant. The way the food was made was not what you would expect. The first dish we ordered was the Orange Chicken. The second dish we ordered was the General Tso's tofu. Seems pretty simple, yes?

The answer to that question is a mystery. When the food was delivered to our table, we got.... Dun Dun Dun! The exact opposite of what we ordered. The General Tso's was chicken and the Orange was the Tofu... How do these things happen?? Neither one of us said a thing.

WHAT A BLUNDER

As we shared each others dish, I realized that I was eating tofu that had either been overcooked or it was recently defrosted. 

The chicken was dry and was more like chicken jerky.  The low

Blood Type tells it ALL.. Eating for your blood type :-)

Have you heard of this phenomenal style of eating? I am not one for diets, I am more into lifestyle changes for your health. It's a style that is more accepted amongst people who don't live by diets.

I have been following this style of eating for quite some time and I can say that it has been hard to swallow at times. However, it has been a wonderful change for me. I have never felt better.

The book gives you all of the details on how to eat for your body. In my case I wasn't sure why my body would attack itself when I ate things. Well I can say that I was not eating a healthy, well balance diet by any means. I have very little stomach acid, so my body does well in a state of Alkaline. Many people won't understand this until they have read the book. It all makes sense once you have looked into your blood type and read into what is good for you and what is toxic.

If you are a Blood Type A, then you are like me. You should be a vegetarian. Dairy and meat are very toxic to our bodies. It can cause a lot of health problems and most of all can cause a huge weight gain if eaten regularly. There are certain fruits as well that are toxic such as oranges and mangos.

It's all in your blood type. Read up on it and I can promise you this, if you have been sick or keep getting sick it's because of what you eat. Of course all natural is best, but again there are a few ways to get around all of that.

Once you have read this book, then it's on to The Gorgeously Green Diet... That book is amazing and has helped me in so many ways. Do what's best for you and your body. Eat Right for YOUR Blood Type. :-))

AS Always.. Happy Eating :-))))))

Gourmet Pancakes Right in Your Own Kitchen!

 

Pumpkin and Espresso Pancakes

with Apricot Topping

 

 

These pancakes are by far the easiest I have ever made. It takes just a few ingredients and you can whip these up in a jiffy. Be creative with your breakfast and you will find there is a world of unknown wonders to treat your taste buds.

 

 

This past week has been such a challenge that I decided to experiment with some ingredients. I started with my Gluten free pancake mix and instead of adding the water and eggs, I added espresso and pumpkin to the mix. I also added 1/2 cup of oil to make sure they would stick. Working with gluten free ingredients is super challenging in itself. So you must learn by trial and error on how to make it work for you.

 

 

Recipe and Instructions

 

Maple Grove Farms Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix

1 cup

Pumpkin Puree(canned or fresh)

8 oz

Freshly made Espresso

2/3 cup

Olive Oil

1/2 cup

 

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl until blended. The mix will not look like a regular pancake mix. It will be a little thicker. Do not add any further ingredients to make it thin. You want it to be thick so you can work with it in the pan.

Heat your skillet to a med/high and add a bit of olive oil to the pan. Take1/2 cup of the mix and put it in the skillet. You will need to work the mix around in the pan. The cakes will be ready to turn once you have mixed it up five or six times. Turning them can be a challenge and please do not get discouraged. These cakes are such a tasty treat. Once you flip the cakes it takes about 2 minutes until they are done.

 

This mix makes 4 to 5 pancakes

 

Apricot Topping

 

In a small bowl, smash 5 apricots and add a tbsp. of your favorite sweetener. Spoon on top of the pancakes and add some powdered sugar.



 

A King Arthur Calzone. Gluten Free of Course :-))

 

The King Arthur Calzone

 

 

This might have been the hardest dough to work with. It's not like working with a regular dough that has Gluten in it. This is a super sticky and really frustrating dough.. The King Arthur bread dough has a recipe for the pizza dough that I knew would be perfect for these.

The main thing to remember when using this dough is to let it sit for longer than the suggested amount of time. I am talking an hour longer than suggested. :-))

 

 



This is the part where you have to get the dough from the pan that it has been laying flat on for the last 30 minutes. You have to cut the dough with the backside of the calzone press. This is really not a fun task at first. Until you figure out that it needs to be powdered to work with, you will want to throw it in the trash and start over. Don't do that.. It's easier to work with the longer you let it set.

         I used a rice and broccoli combination for the filling. I included a bit of cheese as I know that most people either want meat or cheese for flavor. I baked at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. To make this really yummy, you could add a couple of tsp of butter and a glove of garlic. The combination makes the flavor pop in your mouth.

         

The Calzone Press is made by Pizzacraft. You can find these at your local culinary shop or online at www.pizzacraft.com. Here are a couple of tips when using this press. After you get the press closed, you will want to turn it over to the back and make sure that the dough had gotten completely over the filling. If you need to, take some of the leftover dough and pres it over the filling.

 I love Wilton pans. They make the pans that can be used for so many different applications. I was looking for a pan to make my bread sticks and I found this Wilton Doughnut Twist Pan. The pan made the perfect looking bread sticks. They were especially good with a splash of garlic butter whisked across the the tops.

 

The trick to these perfect Gluten Free bread sticks is to allow the dough to rise in the pan at least an hour. You bake them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Keep checking them to make sure they become a golden brown before taking them out of the oven.

 

You can find the Gluten Free King Arthur Bread Mix online and in the grocery store.

www.kingarthurflour.com

 

The most important things to remember are these... Be patient and have fun.

Happy Eating!! :-))

The Video was an Epic Food Blunder!

 

The Cooking How To was a complete disaster! I have to say that I was not prepared for the final outcome. It was terrible...to say the least. It was a complete blunder.

 

The food came out great but the video that was shot was not. In the last segment of the video, my head was cut off completely. OMG

 

In the middle of shooting, my son Samuel decided that he would come in and start talking to me because he wanted to be funny.. It was just a day of stress when it should have been a fun thing to do for my readers and for my kids as well.

 

I may have to rethink the entire thing and come up with an entirely different plan. :-))

 

SO, onto the next video. We are going to try this again and see if there is a better way to get my entire body in the video this time.. HA HA

 

So until my next blog... Happy Eating! 

A moment of Silence... My beautiful friend is gone :-(

SW is gone

This is out of the norm for me.

I had to say something wonderful about my

beautiful friend who has passed away.

SW had pancreatic cancer and he found out 4 weeks ago.

I was told yesterday of his condition and he passed last night.

I didn't have the chance to say goodbye.

He used to always tell us that he was going to Mass to pray for our wicked souls.

We used to laugh..

 He made so many jokes. He was a truly wonderful 

person in so many ways. 

All I can think of are all of the opportunities I had to call him

and to tell him how much I missed him.

SW, I love you and I will miss you

Love Always

Your Friend

Kim

Friends...

Take the time to tell someone how you feel about them.

For someday may just be too late!

Midwest Food Blunders YouTube Video to Air on July 8th Noon EST

Hello all you wonderful people out there in the world :-))

 

 

This weekend my son Christopher and I will be filming our 1st YouTube video on how to make fresh lemonade. We will also be making Gluten Free Lemon Turnovers. I am so looking forward to presenting not only my cooking skills, but the cooking skills of my wonderful son. There are sure to be lots of Blunders!!

 

He has been sharing the kitchen with me for sometime. He is a wonderful Sous Chef!

 

I look forward to this presentation and I hope that you enjoy it as well..

 

Thank you to all my followers. :-))

 

Happy Eating  :-))

 

 

Fresh Apricot's, Sweet Cakes and Coconut Cream

 

Fresh Apricot's and Sweet Cakes with Coconut Cream

 

Sitting in the wonderful breeze today, my mind was running over and over... I want to make a super tasty treat for the boys'!! My neighbor/best friends tree was looking pretty full of apricots, so I decided I was going to make some jam. Then while I was looking up the recipe for the jam, my mind went to this wilton® brownie cup pan that I used not too long ago for some strawberry shortcakes.

 

I decided that I would make up my own tasty treat. :-) I went into the kitchen and got to work. I started with the sweet cakes. I whipped up a gluten free pancake mix and added some sweetener. Then I pulled out my wilton® brownie cup pan and filled it up and baked them at 350 degrees till golden brown. (about 20 minutes).

  

 

I then got to work on the Apricot filling. I cleaned and pitted the mini apricots and sliced them into small pieces. I added 1/4 cup of Stevia and cooked them on low until they were a Carmel glaze of yummy goodness. Tasting is my favorite part. I say, if the taste of Stevia isn't your style, then add 3/4 cup of sugar.

 



   

 

While I let the Apricot compote cool a bit, I decided to make a Coconut Cream. I used 1 1/2 cups of Coconut Milk, Stevia and 2 pkg of Knox Original Unflavored Gelatin in the blender to make sure all the ingredients were well blended.(Make sure to follow the direction on the gelatin box) I put the coconut mix in the refrigerator for about 3 hours. The mix wasn't quite right, so I put it in the freezer for about 1/2 an hour more and it was the perfect consistency for the cakes.

 

The final result... A tasty, tangy and sweet treat treat fit for any sweet tooth. The boys' ate their treats when they came back from their swim time at the local Creek(water hole). What a fun day it has been!



 

Happy Eating :-))

The Mother Of All Pitch In's :-))

The Pitch In

This must have been the best "Themed" pitch in we have ever had. There are 2 shifts where I work. I am on the 2nd shift. So we all decided that we would vote on the themes for the pitch in. The 1st shift decided that they would go for the "Baseball" theme. You know hot dogs, soda pop and popcorn... Then 2nd shift voted.... We came up with a "Picnic" theme. It was one of the best Pitch In's I have ever been to. Let me show you why!!!

The table was set up with all that you can imagine with a picnic in mind. First we have the Cucumber Salad. This is freshly sliced cucumbers and olives in a vinaigrette dressing.



Then we have a Watermelon Salad with freshly sliced mozzarella, mint leaves and balsamic vinaigrette.

Here you have the Green leaf lettuce, Cauliflower, Bacon, Green Onions,White Onions, Sweet mayo and parmesan dressing.

Here we have an Asian Salad with greens and cashews.

Here we have a traditional Pasta Salad with cucumber, pepperoni, cubed cheese and green bell pepper.

This is also a traditional salad with a tangy sauce, onion, mushrooms and lots of leafy greens.

Here we have a BBQ Chicken and Fruit Salad. This salad was made with spinach leaves, BBQ slow cooked chicken, sliced pineapple, sliced peaches, lemon slices and a tangy Pineapple-Peach BBQ dressing. This was my salad for the pitch in :-)))

For Dessert

We have the Waldorf Salad minus the apples.. We all know what this has in it!

Double Layer Brownie Cake with Cream Cheese Topping

AND to top it all off... The Cream Cheese filled Strawberries with a drizzle of chocolate. The cream cheese was mixed with sugar and vanilla to create a cheese cake type filling. I have to admit I ate a few. I know it's not in my plan, but every once in awhile you just have to eat a little bad cause it's so good. They were divine!

So as you can see, there was quite s spread. We also had some traditional chicken salad, rolls and some store bought cookies. It was quite an eventful evening. Let's just say that none of us went hungry and we all left work satisfied for once... It was a great night.

Thanks to all who made this night happen..

Patti, Dawne, Teresa, Cathy, Lisa, Patrick, Marilyn, Denise and Me!!



Happy Eating Folks :-)))

Stuff Your Pancakes! :-)

What A Morning

I woke up this morning to the sounds of my two boys’. One was playing a video game and the other snapping together his K’NEX… Christopher loves to build. He is so creative that he built a coaster to hold his water glasses out of K’NEX.  Sammy just love to play video games and pretend he is a Ninja.

My boys’ also like to cook. They are my two little chefs’ who think that cooking is a great past time. Let’s hope they keep up those wonderful thoughts.  Anyway, so this morning, I tell them I am making them stuffed pancakes (Gluten Free of course)… They liked the Gluten Free crepes we made so much that I decided to do a spin off of them by fattening up the cakes and filling them full of fruit. I made the batter just a little thicker this time.

 

So Christopher wasn’t interested in cooking this morning. He says’ to me “Mom, You can do it!” I just thought that was a super cute thing and I went about my business. I made 4 large thin pancakes 10 inches in diameter. I then mixed together 2 tbsp. Of store brand crunchy peanut butter and Nutella. Next, I took 1 tbsp. of the peanut butter and of the Nutella and put it in an All Clad butter warmer and heated it until it was smooth enough to pour over the top of the pancakes.

I have to tell you that the smell was divine! It almost smelled like one of those old time waffle houses. You know the kind that used to have antique furniture, white tile floors and served all of the meals on china. All I can say is I have a picture of an old Plantation house in the middle of Savanna Georgia… LOL I think I just got swept away there for a minute. OK, where was I…

Now I remember, I was slathering the mixture on top of the stuffed pancakes. Then I topped them with a few slices of banana and sprinkled with a dash of powdered sugar. The boys’ loved them! They ate them so quickly that I didn’t even get a chance to get a picture of them at breakfast.  

Take my advice… If your children love to eat, try these stuffed Pancakes. They will love them!

You can beat Gluten Free!

Happy Eating :0)

Mexican.. It's What's For Dinner!

What's for dinner you ask! "Mexican" I say. Mexican soft tacos and fajita style rice. There is nothing better than Mexican comfort food when you're entertaining.

Some friends decided to stop by for dinner tonight and we decided on taco's. The best Mexican tacos are the ones made with the freshest ingredients.Things like, spinach,  fresh garlic, Roma tomatoes, onion and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Tonight, since not all of my friends ere vegetarian, I made beef and salmon tacos. As a side dish, I made fajita rice with a sprinkle of cheese and Pico De Gallo. As usual, no dairy except for the marble cheddar shredded cheese.

I have to say that dinner was quite a hit! These freshly made tacos are quite tasty and very filling.

KK's Mexican Tacos

1 lb ground meat

2 med Salmon steaks

2 tomatoes

2 small limes

1/2 white onion

1 large clove garlic

1 bundle of spinach leaves

1 small block of cheese (shredded)

8 med soft tortillas

Pico De Guyo

Chop 2 Roma tomatoes, 1/2 onion and 1 lg clove of garlic and mix in med size bowl, Take 1/2 a lime and squeeze the juice over the mixture. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Taco Meat Seasoning

 

2 tbs Onion Powder

1 tbs Chili Powder

1 tbs ground Cumin

1 tbs Paprika

1 tbs Garlic Powder

1 tbs Ground Oregano

1 tbs White Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

In a small bowl, mix spices together. Brown ground beef and drain. In a skillet, cook ground beef, 1/4 cup of water and seasoning mix until the sauce has become thickened.

In a separate skillet, cook salmon steaks on med/high for 6 minutes on each side. Remove them and place on a small plate. Squeeze 1/2 a lime across the top. Chop salmon into small pieces.

How to Serve

On a large rectangular platter, starting from the right, place one tortilla on the platter. Take one handful of spinach and place across half of the tortilla. Spoon 2 tbs of meat mixture across the top of the spinach. Top with pico de gallo and cheese. Just a squeeze of lime and fold. Continue on switching between the beef mixture and the salmon.

Recipe makes 8 lg soft tacos

Optional Condiments

Sliced Avocado, Sour Cream and Hot Sauce

 

Happy Eating! :-))

Drops Of Lemon.. Fountain of Youth?

Are Lemons The Fountain Of Youth?

For years there have been studies on the benefits of lemons, but are they the fountain of youth? If you search the benefits of lemons on Google, you will see dozens of websites on the benefits of drinking the juice, eating the core and grating the peel on your food and in your beverage's.

Scores of people have reaped the benefits of the little yellow fruit and find that with everyday use, they can cure some of the most commons ailments known to man.

 One of the Health Benefits of lemon juice is... The citric acid found in lemon juice helps to dissolve gallstones, calcium deposits, and kidney stones. Adding fresh lemon juice to a large glass of water in the morning is a great liver detoxifier as well....

These days you can count on hearing someone say they are getting their gallbladder taken out. One of the biggest (in my opinion) "Myths" that our doctors tell us, is that we do not need our gallbladder... Oh, I beg to differ! Our Gall Bladders' are a storage facility for liver bile. It's a reservoir for holding bile on its way from our liver to our intestines. When we do not have that facility, then the need to either watch fat intake, or balance fat with bile supplements and enzymes becomes a necessity. The reason it's a necessity is because there is a lack of flow between our liver and our ability to digest fat. How do you like that!

So, in fact, we DO need our gallbladders people!

So why do I think that lemons are the "Fountain Of Youth"? There are several reasons but I am going to touch on just a few. The first one is the glycolic acid found in lemons and limes activate the cells that have become slow over time. I am living proof that it can make the skin on your face, neck and hands look ten years younger with regular use.

Oh.. And those varicose and spider veins.. Just mix up some lemon and almond oils and rub it on those veins. Lemon oils have the ability the strengthen your vessels. Lemon juice also helps you absorb calcium due to the vitamin C to wort off the affects of Osteoporosis. Then, there is the old eye function as well. Rutin, found in lemons, has been shown in research to improve the symptoms of eye disorders, including diabetic retinopathy.

The best part about lemons is they contain 22 anti-cancer compounds, including limonene a naturally-occurring oil that slows or halts the growth of cancer tumors in animals. Lemons also contain a substance called flavonol glycosides which stop cell division in cancer cells.

Fun Fact #2546

Once you have juiced your lemons, remove the core and put them in the freezer. Take a grater and grate the lemon peels over your meals or put it in your drinks. Not only will you have an unbelievable flavor, but the peel has 5 to 10 times more vitamins than lemon juice!

Lemons! The Fountain Of Youth!

Happy Juicing! :-))