Gluten Free Muffelatas

My sweet mom at the age of 63 was diagnosed this summer with severe Celiac disease. She is six feet tall and got down to a very scary weight of 103 before the doctors ever were able to figure out what was wrong. Our whole family was terrified that something very serious was wrong and were all scared to death for her. She suffered for six long months trying so hard to figure out what was going on.

So, after me insisting that she have every test in the books run so we could get some answers we finally got the diagnosis. She called me in disbelief to tell me that after all these years she has Celiac!  I was over joyed!! Praise the Lord!! This illness we could work with!! I knew that it would change her lifestyle and be hard but we were going to have her with us and that was all that mattered to me.

I love cooking for my family when they come to visit. Unfortunately though most of my recipes have gluten in them. :( So each time they visit I am on the search to find delicious gluten free meals to make for her that we can all eat and enjoy. So far everything that I have made that is gluten free has turned out really good. I will be sharing the recipes here with you. You can find them all using the gluten free tag over on my right side bar.

The muffelatta sandwich is so good!! I have always loved the olive mix and this recipe tastes just like the one I had in New Orleans if not better. This sandwich is practically all gluten free except for the bread. My mom LOVES Udi's gluten free bread so that is what she ate her sandwich on. When looking at this recipe I wasn't sure which meats would be gluten free, if any. But when I went to my local grocery store I learned that ALL of Boars Head meats and cheeses are gluten free. I was a amazed!! Their meats are so fresh and delicious. It's what I always buy anyway and now I can continue to serve on sandwiches when my family is in town.

Since my moms diagnosis she hasn't been sick for one day! Isn't that great!! She has put on thirty pounds and feels wonderful. She loves her new diet and how it makes her feel. I hope that you come back to see what great gluten free meals that I have found and am sharing with my mom. Hope everyone has a great week!


Olive Mix Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pimento-stuffed olives
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables)
• 2 lg. pepperoncini
• 1 md. clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• A couple of grinds of blackpepper
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions to make olive mix:

1. Drain all ingredients.
2. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
3. Refrigerate overnight.

To make a Gluten Free Muffelatta Sandwich you will need:

• 1 loaf Udi's Gluten Free Bread
• 1 cup olive mix
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced ham
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced pepperoni
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced salami
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced provolone
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced mozzarella
• 1/4 lb Boar's Head sliced turkey

 To assemble the sandwich:

1. Using two slices of the Udi Gluten Free bread spread a spoonful or two of the olive mix on one half of the bread
2. Then layer however many pieces of the ham, pepperoni, salami, provolone, mozzarella, & turkey that you wish for your sandwich.
3. Place your other half of bread on the layers and enjoy your homemade Italian sandwich! :)

Below is a picture of a NON Gluten free Muffelata sandwich. The only difference though between the two sandwiches is the bread. On the this sandwich I used Focaccia bread which was NOT Gluten Free.

Patty Melts

 

 Last week I served these up for us during the Texas football game. Our team hasn't been doing really good so far this year so I made us some good ole comfort food to get us through another game. These sandwiches helped my hubby forget about the game for a little bit. ;)

Ingredients

• 1 stick Butter
• 1 whole Large Onion, Halved And Sliced
• 1-1/2 pound Ground Beef
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 5 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
• 8 slices Swiss Cheese
• 8 slices french bread

 Directions:

Start your grill to medium heat.
In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Throw in the sliced onions and cook slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown and soft.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt & pepper, and Worcestershire. Form into 4 patties.
Take your patties out to the grill and cook the patties on both sides until totally done in the middle, or to however you like your ground beef cooked.
After you have cooked your meat bring them inside and assemble you sandwiches.
Take your bread, a slice of cheese, one of the hamburger patties, 1/4 of the cooked onions, another slice of cheese, and lastly another slice of bread. In a clean skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter and grill the sandwiches over medium heat until golder brown.  Remove the sandwiches and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Turn the sandwiches to the skillet, flipping them to the other side. Cook until golden brown and crisp, and until cheese is melted.

Slice in half and serve immediately!

Recipe modified from The Pioneer Woman

Chipotle Mexican Steak Burritos

 

My husband loves going to Chipotle for their steak burritos! I think that he could eat there every week and it would never get old. We also love our local grocery stores marinated steak fajita meat. It is honestly the best meat you will ever have. If you are ever in central to south TX go to HEB and buy their fajita meat. We take it on almost all of our family vacations (we have a lot of family outside of TX) and grill up some fajitas as a thank you for letting us stay with family. It's become tradition. 
So, when I told my husband that I wanted to make some steak burritos he told me that I had to do it right and go with our favorite meat. I hope that you have something similar where you live or at least have a favorite steak marinade for your steak. If not, go to Half Baked Harvest and see her recipe for her steak. She says it is also very good1 :)

Ingredients:

2 lbs marinated fajita steak
black beans
shredded cheese (I used chipotle cheddar and jalapeno jack)
sour cream
guacamole
salsa
cilantro

Cilantro Lime Rice

• 2-3 cup cooked white rice, hot
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

Cook the rice according to package directions. When the rice is done cooking, toss in the chopped cilantro and lime juice. Set aside and keep warm.

Start heating your black beans on low.

Heat grill to about 400 degrees. Grill meat to your liking.

Chop meat into 1/2 inch square pieces.

Place 5-6 tortillas at a time in the microwave for one minute wrapped in damp paper towels. In the center of your tortilla, layer the cheeses, hot rice, warm steak, and any add ins you like such as beans, guacamole, sour cream & salsa. Fold the sides of the line of ingredients and roll up the tortilla (try and roll them tight). Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Modified from Half Baked Harvest

Chicken Salad

 

Ingredients:

seasoned shredded chicken
mayo
grapes cut into halves or quarters
1/2 cup of pecans
1/2 cup of sliced celery
cheese slices
croissants

Directions:

When I make chicken salad I like for my chicken to be seasoned. I love buying a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and using it to make chicken salad. It's so yummy! Today, however, I was craving a different flavor. I was wanting something that would give my chicken a tangy kick with a little bit of sweet. While shopping I found Lawry's Hawaiian seasoning and gave it a try. It turned out to be just the flavor I was looking for.

I placed 5 small chicken breasts in my slow cookers and poured the seasoning over each side of the breasts. I then let it cook on low for about five hours. I let it cook until I can easily pull my chicken a part with two forks.

After shredding your chicken add your grape halves, pecans, celery, and enough mayo to lightly cover the whole salad.

I love chicken salad on a croissant with cheese. My husband loves to add a tomato & lettuce. It's all up to you....  How do you like to eat your chicken salad? I'd love to hear. :)

All American Burger Dogs

 

Isn't this the most fun way to eat a hamburger?!?! Make it a Burger Dog!! I ran across this idea on All Recipes and knew immediately that I wanted to make these for my family. I will tell you that they all laughed at me when I told them what we were having for dinner, but NOBODY complained once they started eating. Everyone said, "These are actually really good!" Not sure what was different (because we made them the exact way we make our regular burgers), but I think the fun presentation made them more enjoyable than just a round patty and round buns. ;)

Ingredients:

2 lbs extra lean ground beef
8 hotdog buns
hamburger seasoning (we used Lawry's) 
shredded cheese
dill pickle relish
mustard
mayo
ketchup
onions
lettuce
tomatoes

Directions:

Heat your grill. Make your ground beef into the shape of a hotdog. Season your meat.

Cook on the grill until your meat reaches your desired doneness.

Place patty inside of a hotdog bun and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!! ;)

Grilled Chicken Club

 

Now, I know that everyone knows how to put together a grilled chicken club sandwich. But, what I don't know is if you have discovered the secret to MY grilled chicken clubs... ;) That are so so good!
My secret is marinating the chicken breasts in McCormicks Grill Mates, Garlic Herb & Wine Marinade.

We have loved this seasoning for several years now and it never seems to disappoint us. This is a sandwich that is easily loved by the whole family. For our little guys though we leave off most of the veggies, but they still enjoy the great tasting chicken!!

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Garlic Herb & Wine Marinade
Canola Oil
White Vinegar
Sandwich buns
Lettuce
Tomato
Avacados
Pickles
Mayo or Mustard
Swiss Cheese

Directions:

1. Marinate your chicken according to the package directions.
2. Grill your chicken for 6-10  minutes a side or until the juices run clear when you cut into the thickest part of your chicken. (or you can cook until the edges are crispy, that's how we like it!)
3. Right before your chicken is done, place cheese on the chicken and let melt.
4. When cheese is melted remove from grill and layer your sandwich in which ever order you like. :) 

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

 

 We have had a much cooler spring in Texas this year for sure!! But this last weekend it has started to warm up into the 80's and I am starting to crave summer salads. As I was looking at recipes this one caught my eye and I had to give it a try. It is a lot like the Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad I wrote about a while back. The salad ingredients are almost the same, but the dressing is different. They both are very good!!

Dressing:

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobe sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:

4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 3/4 ounce) can no-salt added whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

Source: Nutmeg Notebook

Club Pasta Salad

I made this for lunch a couple of Saturday's ago for my mom and dad and it was a huge hit. The combination of ingredients is delicious!! My family and I give this salad Five stars!! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked shell pasta
• 1 (1oz) packet Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
• 1/4 cup bacon bits
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cups cut-up cooked turkey or 1 1/2 cup chicken
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
• 1/2 cup julienne strips cheddar cheese
• 4 cups bite-size pieces lettuce

Directions:

Fill large saucepan 2/3 full of water. Heat to boiling. Stir in contents of pasta.

Gently boil uncovered 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally, until tender.

Drain pasta. Rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.

Combine Hidden Valley ranch mix, onion powder and bacon bits with mayonnaise in a large bowl. Stir in chilled pasta and remaining ingredients except lettuce. Serve on lettuce. Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Food.com

Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 1 c. celery, chopped
• 2 (28oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (16oz.) can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 (16oz.) can white kidney beans, drained
• 4 cups beef stock
• 3 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. pepper
• 5 tsp. parsley
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 1 (20oz.) jar traditional spaghetti sauce
• 8 oz. pasta

Instructions:

• Brown ground beef in a large skillet.
• Add beef and all ingredients except the pasta into a large crock pot. 
• Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
• Before serving, cook pasta according to directions. Drain and add to soup.

Source: www.favfamilyrecipes.com

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground meat
• Package of McCormick Taco seasoning mix
• 1 can pinto beans 
• tortilla chips
• shredded lettuce
• 2 Roma tomatoes dices
• shredded cheese
• olives sliced
• sour cream
• guacamole 

Directions:

• On the stove top in a large pan brown your ground meat. Drain the fat.
• Add your package of McCormick Taco seasoning. Follow instructions on the package.
• Heat the pinto beans. You can heat them seperately or with the meat it's up to you. I put mine in with the meat and let it all simmer together. 
• On a dinner plate place your tortilla chips, meat and beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, and guacamole. You can put these in order you like. You can not go wrong!!

I hope you enjoy one of my favorite meals. :) To make this meal even better make a pitcher of margaritas to wash it all down!!

Spicy Thai Noodles

 

Ingredients:

• 1 box linguine or angel hair pasta
• 1-2 Tbsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sesame oil
• 6 Tbsp honey
• 6 Tbsp soy sauce
• Green onions, cilantro, peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

• Boil noodles
• Chop green onions, cilantro, and peanuts.
• Heat both oils and crushed red pepper over medium heat in a small pan. (2 tbsp makes this dish very spicy. I used only 1 tbsp)
• Strain out pepper and reserve oil.
• To oil, whisk in honey and soy sauce.
• Toss mixture with noodles.
• Refrigerate overnight or until cold.
• Before serving, top each individual serving with onions, cilantro, peanuts and toasted sesame seeds.
• Serve cold

My husband, son, and I really enjoyed this recipe. I added some shredded chicken to the pasta and it was very good. This makes an excellent main course or side dish. We had this for lunch yesterday and had plenty of leftovers so I am excited about having it again today!!

Thank you to a small snippet for this great recipe. :)

Philly Cheesesteak

Ingredients:

• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 pkg onion soup mix
• 1 lb. Black Angus rare roast beef (I buy Boars Head roast beef thinly sliced from the deli)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large white or yellow onion, sliced
• 8 oz. cream cheese 
• sliced provolone cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
• 3-4 hoagie rolls

Directions:

Bring beef broth and onion soup mix to a boil.

Add roast beef, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, in a large skillet saute onion and green pepper.

When beef is done simmering, drain juices (you can keep the juice if you want to make an "au jus" dip.) Add roast beef to skillet along with about 4 oz. of cream cheese. (I omit the cream cheese and it is still very good)

Generously portion the beef, onion, and green pepper mixture onto each hoagie roll.

Top with provolone cheese and place sandwiches, open-faced on a large baking sheet.

Broil on high for about a minute or until cheese becomes bubbly and bread becomes slightly toasty. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Thank you Favorite Family Recipes for this delicious sandwich. :)

Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Tonight I tried a new potato soup recipe. Oh my goodness was it delicious!! I found the recipe on the It's what's for dinner... blog.

Ingredients:

• 5 russet potato's
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped really fine
• 64 ounces chicken broth or stock
• 16 ounces cream cheese
• bacon, sour cream, chives, or shredded cheese for garnish

Directions:

I found this recipe at around noon on a Friday and didn't have time after running to the grocery store to cook it in the crock pot so I combined all of the ingredients together (except for the garnishes) and brought them to a boil on the stove top. Once the potatos were cooked I put it on low let it simmer  until we were ready to eat (about an hour and a half).
Serve warm topped with bacon, sour cream, shredded cheese, & chives.

A few nights ago we had a honey baked ham and still had left overs. So, I cut all the remaining pieces off and threw them plus the bone into the soup and it made it DELISH!! :)