Welcome to the April Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop! The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate all the participants of this hop (and you too) to not just pin, but to make it happen! So this month, I chose to make Easy Sugar Cookie Bars! 

 

To join next month's #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ May Pinterest Challenge

 

Sugar Cookie Bars

My daughter had sent me a pin last year to make sugar cookie bars for when she came to visit. I didn't get the chance then so I made them for her when she came home for Easter a few weeks ago. The recipe made a 13 x 9 pan so I cut the recipe in half because I was also making an Oreo cheesecake for my son and didn't want a bunch of leftovers since I don't eat sugar. I made them in a 8 x 8 pan and the cookie bars came out fairly thin. I suppose I should have made the whole recipe and just put some in the freezer. But with the icing added on top she said they were really good so I guess all in all it was a success! 

INGREDIENTS:

For the cookie:

1 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1½ cups sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ tsp baking soda

For the frosting:

3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
sprinkles

Here is the link the the pin where the original recipe is found. You can find the directions there.

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Now let's see what other things Pinterest inspired! Head over and visit the other hosts to see what they crafted, cooked, built, or tried!

Participants:

Erlene - My Pinterventures • Lauren - Mom Home Guide
Debbee - Debbee's Buzz • Laurie - My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies
Marie - DIY Adulation • Julie - Sum of their Stories
Marie - The Inspiration Vault • T'onna - Sew Crafty Crochet
Pili - My Sweet Things • Debra - Shoppe No. 5
Roseann - This Autoimmune Life • Terri - Our Good Life
Lisa - Blogghetti • Marci - Stone Cottage Adventures
Leslie - Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Rebecca - Simple Practical Beautiful • Cherryl - Farm Girl Reformed
Kelley - Simply Inspired Meals • Joanne - Our Unschooling Journey
Jenny - Cookies Coffee and Crafts • Gail - Purple Hues and Me
Sam - Raggedy Bits
Beverly - Across the Boulevard • Samantha - Little Bits of Home
Kristie - Teadoddles • Shirley - Intelligent Domestications
Kelli - Olympic Nest • Chelsea - Making Manzanita
Cherryl - Farm Girl Reformed • Ola - J'adore Le Decor

An InLinkz Link-up

There is nothing like the smell of gingerbread baking! Clove, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon is such a wonderful mix of spices! Get them all in this gluten free gingerbread muffins recipe which is adapted from If You Give A Blonde A Kitchen. 

Recipe for Gluten Free Gingerbread Muffins

 

 

• 1 ¾ cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• ▢1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ▢½ cup sugar free brown sugar (or make your own - see below)
• ▢½ cup molasses
• ▢1 large egg, room temperature
• ▢½ cup water, room temperature

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. 
• Stir together the almond and coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. 
• In a large bowl mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and egg on medium-high speed until light brown.
• With the mixer on low, add one third of the flour mixture to the melted butter mixture, then 1/4 cup water. Repeat ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until the flour is moist.
• Fill prepared muffin tin with batter until each cupcake liner is two-thirds full. Bake for 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
• *To make your own sugar free brown sugar mix 1 cup of xylitol with 3 tablespoons of molasses

How To Make Your Own Chicken Stock

Do you want to get the most out of your Thanksgiving turkey? Learn How To Make Your Own Chicken Stock (or turkey stock in this case) and nothing will go to waste! Why would you want to make your own when you can buy it at the store? First and foremost is all the health benefits it has to offer!

There is good reason why your mother or grandmother fed you homemade chicken soup when your were sick! In a study done by the University of Nebraska, the findings "suggests that chicken soup may contain a number of substances with beneficial medicinal activity. A mild anti-inflammatory effect could be one mechanism by which the soup could result in the mitigation of symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections." UNMC

According to Dr. Axe, ingredients released from the bones including "proline and glycine are important for a healthy gut and digestion, muscle repair and growth, a balanced nervous system, and strong immune system." In addition, collagen and gelatin formed in the bone broth prevent bone loss, reduce joint pain and promote healthy skin, hair, and nails

 

Ingredients:

1 large stock pot

bones from turkey or chicken

several carrots

several celery stalks

small onion 

fresh herbs of your choice

salt and pepper

apple cider vinegar*

water

Directions:

1. Break up the bones from your turkey or chicken and place them in the bottom of the stock pot.


2. Cut carrots, celery and onion into chunks and place in the pot.


3. Place herbs (I use thyme and rosemary) in herb infuser (or make a bouquet garni) and place or hook that in the pot.


4. Fill the pot with water covering all of the other ingredients. Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.


5. Cover the pot, bring to a slow boil then simmer on low for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours. Be sure to skim off any foam (impurities) that form on the top.


6. Let cool then pour broth through a strainer to remove all solids. 


7. Store broth in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or pour into freezer bag and freeze for later use.

*Adding an acid (like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar) will help to extract minerals from the bones.

Fruit and Nut Bars

Fruit and nut bars make a great snack on the go. With 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving they can certainly help to curb your appetite. They are quite high in carbs (28 grams per serving) so you want to go easy on these and not eat the whole pan. Although they are delicious and you might be tempted!

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries . . .)

Directions:

Chop dates in a food processor until they form a ball. 

In a medium sized glass bowl, add the almond butter, honey and vanilla. Heat at half power in 30 second increments until the almond butter is melted and the mixture is a little warm.

Add the chopped dates to the bowl and mix well. 

Stir in the chopped almonds, oats and dried fruits.

Press the mixture into a non-stick 8" pan. Place the pan in the freezer until the bars have hardened up.

Cut into 12 bars and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them.

With cooler weather comes the desire for comfort foods. And who doesn't love a casserole? Most casseroles have cream of chicken soup as one of the ingredients. But the ingredients listed on the canned version are certainly something I can do without: modified food starch, soy protein concentrate, yeast extract and sugar! Why do they need to put sugar in soup?
 Why not make your own healthy version? It's really easy and doesn't take much time at all. This recipe is for a gluten free and dairy free version. And the best thing is you will know what all the ingredients are!

                                        

Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons gluten free flour (no xantham gum)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup chicken broth
¾ cup dairy free milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
½ cup chopped chicken breast (or you can add celery or mushroom depending on what type of soup you want)

Directions:

Mix the 3 tablespoons of gf flour with the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a small pan and begin to heat over medium heat. Slowly add the flour mix, stirring to mix it into the oil.  Continue cooking for about 2-3 minutes. Then slowly add the chicken broth into the pan, stirring as you add it. Then add the milk and mix well. The chicken is added in last. Cook the mixture until it thickens, about 5 minutes. This makes 12 oz of soup which is a little more than the canned version which is 10.5 oz.

Are you looking for a recipe to use up some of that Thanksgiving turkey? With this recipe you can use either turkey or chicken. So if you have any leftovers this will be a great change for the menu! It is best made a few hours or a day ahead so the flavors have a chance to meld.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked and chopped chicken or turkey

1/4-1/3 cups of mayonnaise 

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3-4 green onions - just the white part chopped, you can use some of the green part for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium size bowl mix the chicken or turkey with the mayonnaise. Start with 1/4 cup and add more if it is not to your liking.

Stir in the pecans, cranberries, onions and salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator.

Serve as desired and enjoy!

Do you know why Catholics eat fish on Friday during Lent? I grew up in the Catholic church and attended Catholic school until I was in 6th grade. My parents did not like fish when I was younger so we just abstained from eating meat. This is actually the “rule”. You are not supposed to eat warm-blooded flesh meat as a small sacrifice for the immeasurable sacrifice Jesus made for us. Since fish are not warm-blooded it is an acceptable meal on Fridays. Did you know that this practice actually led to the creation of McDonald’s fish filet sandwich? A drop in the sale of hamburgers on Fridays inspired the company to offer this fish sandwich! I don’t really like fish sandwiches but I do like salmon. And these Creamy Parmesan Salmon Fillets are one of my family’s favorites! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Recipe:

Creamy Parmesan Salmon Fillets

Serves 4

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

35 min

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2. 2 teaspoons garlic powder
3. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4. 2 tablespoons fresh chives
5. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
6. salt and pepper to taste
7. 1 lb salmon fillets

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. In a small bowl combine all the ingredients except the salmon and mix well.
3. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place salmon on the pan.
4. Spread the mayonnaise mixture equally over the fillets.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.
6. Sprinkle some fresh chives on top of the cooked fish.

Notes

1. I use skinless fillets for this recipe.
2. This recipe is adapted from a recipe I got from the side of a frozen bag of salmon fillets but I don't remember the brand name.

By Roseann Hampton

Homemade Guacamole

According to Authority Nutrition, here are the top 12 reasons to eat avocados:

1. Avocados are incredibly nutritious
2. They contain more potassium than bananas
3. They are loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids
4. They are loaded with fiber
5. Eating them can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels
6. People who eat avocados tend to be healthier
7. The fat in them can help you absorb nutrients from plant foods
8. They are loaded with powerful antioxidants
9. They may help prevent cancer
10. They may help relieve the symptoms of arthritis
11. They may help you lose weight
12. They are delicious

Guacamole Recipe

3 large avocados

¼ cup chopped onions

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

¹/3 cup chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried cilantro (or fresh equivalent)

½-¾ teaspoon salt

dash of red (cayenne) pepper

juice of ½ lime

Using a sharp knife, slice avocado in half lengthwise.  Remove the pit with a spoon. Use the spoon to scoop the avocado out of the peel and into a bowl.  Mash the avocado.  I have a hand masher but you could use a fork as well. Mash it to the consistency your prefer.  I prefer creamy but you could also leave it chunky. Add the onion, garlic, tomato, cilantro, salt and red pepper.  Stir to combine.  Add the lime juice and stir to mix it in. Cover and put in the refrigerator.  You can eat it right away but it tastes better when left to sit for and hour or two to let the flavors meld.

Enjoy!