Roasted Rosemary Potato Bites

  Looking for an easy dinner side dish?  Or for breakfast?  Brunch?


 Look no further!

  These Roasted Rosemary Potato Bites are sooo yummy and easy to make.  Take five minutes to prepare them, then pop them in the oven for 45 minutes!  They're perfect alone or dipped in ketchup {mmmm ketchup how I love thee}


Ingredients
5-10 organic red potatoes chopped into bite size chunks (I chop enough to fill a 13x9 baking dish)
extra virgin olive oil
rosemary (fresh or dried)
thyme (fresh or dried)
sea salt
pepper
hot pepper flakes (optional)

Method
1.  Preheat oven to 425 F
2.  Place potato bites in 13x9 glass baking dish.  (Potatoes seem to stick less to glass dishes)
3.  Drizzle generously with EVOO and season generously with rosemary and thyme.  Sea salt and pepper to taste!
4.  Give a good stir to make sure potatoes are covered in yummy goodness and place in oven.
5.  Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 min so that potatoes don't stick too much to dish.
6.  Once they seem done, broil for a few minutes to get them nice and crispy!  Enjoy!  

I'm partying at these blog parties!

Tuesdays with Michelle: There's Nasty Stuff in WHERE?!!

Mmm hmm, that's right.  The washing machine.  The very thing that is supposed to make our stuff clean.

Gross gross gross... and there were more nasty brown stains hidden up in the rim... 

I never thought about cleaning the washing machine until I started seeing posts about it on pinterest.  And then I looked at my machine.  And then realized that two boys had previously used {I mean, I hope they used it...} the washer and dryer.  And then I began to think about what kind of nasty stuff might have gone in the washer... um, yeah.  That thought alone was enough to make me give it a nice cleanse!


It is super easy to clean and here is the down and dirty on how to clean your top-loading machine!


Step 1:  Fill washing machine with hot water.  Add 2 cups white vinegar halfway through.
Step 2:  Turn off cycle and let water/ bleach mixture sit for an hour.
Step 3:  Run washing machine on longest cycle.
Step 4:  When water has drained, scrub sides and twisty thing in the middle (what is that even called?!)  Concentrate on the areas around the rim.  You want your machine to be white!  Not any other shade.
Step 5:  Repeat steps 1-3 except substitute 2 cups liquid bleach.


And you're done!  And your washer should look like this now... sparklin' white!  :)

Have any of you ever cleaned your washing machine?  Are you gonna do it now?  Let me know!

   

Vietnamese Braised Eggplant

So I think our little purple friend always gets the raw end of the deal.  Most people cringe when they hear the word eggplant.  Hey, I used to.


Somehow my taste buds have changed over the years {hallelujah!} and now I buy this purple vegetable almost every single week.  And let me tell you, when it's cooked correctly, it is out. of. this. world.  

Let me introduce you to a new recipe that is inspired by Vietnamese flavors, but has some major twists on it created by yours truly.  This dish is entirely gluten free and vegan but packs some major flavor punch!  Feel free to adjust the spiciness to your liking.  This recipe is just hot enough that you get a slight tingle on your lips.  Oh... and the eggplant... I guarantee this will be the most smooth, silky, soft, and flavourful eggplant you will ever taste.  {Yep... and leftovers are great too!  Just ate some for lunch while drooling over this recipe again...} 

Vietnamese Braised Eggplant adapted from Girl Cooks World

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, peeled & cut into large chunks
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion quartered & separated
1/2 tsp caraway seeds, crushed to release flavor
5 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
3/4 cup light coconut milk (or full fat)
1/4 cup Liquid Aminos (or gluten free soy sauce)
basil & red pepper flakes to garnish

Method
1.  Place eggplant chunks in colander and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit for 20 minutes.
2.  Rinse eggplant, pat dry, then sprinkle with sugar and place in bowl.
3.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil at medium heat.  Then add eggplant and occasionally stir for about 5 minutes.
4.  Add onion, caraway, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.  Stirring occasionally to make sure eggplant and garlic don't stick to pan.
5.  Add pepper, chickpeas, cayenne pepper, black pepper... give a good stir... then add coconut milk and liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
6.  Serve eggplant mixture over quinoa or rice.  Garnish with fresh or dried basil and hot pepper flakes and enjoy!

parting at these scrumptious blog hops!

Living with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease "Made from Scratch Mondays"

i am not perfect.

you see, i think i portrayed myself inaccurately in one of my recent posts.  i believe i made myself out to be some kind of amazing health nut who always eats clean, works out like a fitness model, and who never ever gives into temptation.


but let me tell you... i. am. not. perfect.


please, let me explain:


within a 24 hour period:


 i murdered


i devoured


i ravaged


i grieved


i raged


...and then i did it all over again.


here is my victim.  a 14.1 oz Belgium Milk Chocolate Bar.  {dipped with no calorie caramel sauce?  don't quite buy that statement but it didn't stop me from buying it either}

you see?  i don't have self control.  i can only go so long before something disastrous like this happens.  and it was so good.  but sooooo bad.  my running has been crap since i ate it {in addition to traveling for the past 2 weeks...} 


but you know what?  it's completely normal.  we all have weaknesses.  like me and cheese.  and apparently chocolate.


oops.


once i have a few bites of those things i just want more and more and more.


on a happier note... i guess me running 18 miles this weekend makes up for all those sinfully sweet Belgium calories??  right??  


until next time lovelies, remember moderation.  a little bit here and there keeps ravaging under control... do as i say, not as i do!  ;)

Surprise Birthday Pops!

May I present to you my second Etsy order!

These cake pops were a blast to make... my customer ordered a dozen of of my Luscious Lemon pops and requested the colors "screaming mermaid teal" and "electric Big Bird yellow."

She ordered these as a surprise for her twin sister's birthday.  How sweet is that?  

 Although these pictures don't portray the colors well {for some reason they look blue?!}, the base coat was a deep vibrant teal color.  Totally Mermaid worthy!

And let me tell you... the lemon cake and lemon buttercream combo was out. of. this. world.  (Yay for extras! ;)

Thank you for your sweet business!  I can say I'm my own businesswoman now, right?!  ;)

Cowgirl Cake Pops

  As some of you may know, I recently opened an Etsy shop!  

Appropriately named The Gluten Free Wife, I sell gluten free cake pops, sugar cookies, cake balls, focaccia bread, and {non-edible} paper buntings!

And I had my first two sales this past week!    

These cute lil pops were for a four year old's birthday party.  The theme: Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story!  How cute!  

I made 2 dozen pops: 12 cowprint, 6 yellow, and 6 red.  And with the classic flavors of Chocolate Fudge and Vanilla Funfetti.   

They were super fun to make... and look so cute!

A big thank you to my customers!  You were a pleasure to work with!  :)

linking up at these parties:

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th everyone!  As I sit in the SFO airport terminal waiting to fly to Boston (!) I hope all of you are enjoying this beautiful summer day, sprinklers, sparklers, and of course most importantly some mouth watering desserts!


Please take a moment today to think about all of the brave men and women who devote (and have devoted) their lives to keeping our country free.  And safe.  


Thank you!


And thank you to my hubs and all our military family and friends  xoxo