Category: gluten free
Cherry Chocolate Date Nut Truffles
| February 10, 2020 | Posted by Wendy Perry under candy, cherries, chocolate, cook'n with NC goodies, cooking with wine, gluten free, Mindless Mutterings from the Teacher's Lounge, no cook, Our State Mag, published, sweet treats, Valentine's Day, wendy's signature recipes |
Fifteen minutes, a few pantry items, and a North Carolina wine are all it takes to make these bite-size treats. They’re almost as easy to make as they are to eat.
Chicken Breakfast Sausage
| January 17, 2020 | Posted by Wendy Perry under breakfast, Carolina Country, gluten free, here chickie!, low carb, published, skillet cookery, wendy's signature recipes |
Pull out your cast iron skillet for this one to get a nice little “crunch” on the patties. Making sausage to suit your own taste is really easy to do, and making a big batch at the time is too since you can freeze and take out a few patties as needed. You can make this recipe with ground pork, but we love the moistness from using ground chicken. And if you like maple sausage, make some with a hint of syrup drizzled in also. This makes a great “breakfast for supper!”
Breakfast Sausage Harvest Hash
| September 15, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under apples, casseroles, gluten free, here piggy piggy!, Mindless Mutterings from the Teacher's Lounge, published, roasted goodness, skillet cookery, sweet potatoes, turnips |
…this rustic hash features your favorite breakfast sausage and good old North Carolina Sweet Potatoes!
Grilled Eggplant with Blueberry Mustard Vinaigrette …and how to freeze eggplant
| August 19, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under blueberries, cook & eat nekkid, dressings, food preservation, garden goodness, gluten free, grill thrills, sensational sides |
Grilled eggplant drizzled with blueberry mustard vinaigrette and fresh herbs
Scratch-Made Fire & Ice (Dilled) Pickled Peppers
| August 7, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under appetizers, cook & eat nekkid, garden goodness, gluten free, pickled foods, published |
Many of us have made traditional “fire and ice” pickles using store-bought dill pickles. Our twist is a fast way to use those summer peppers that seem to come from every which way all at once … no processing, just refrigerate, eat and share. This recipe doesn’t require exact amounts, so you can make brine and use any amount of peppers (or other vegetables) you have.
Everything’s HOT up ‘n here Bagels! Bye Bye Gluten & Carbs
| July 31, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under avocado, baking (she said in terror), breads, cheesy, fun food, gluten free, low carb, wendy's signature recipes |
Cheesy gluten and carb free bagels… with a kick of cayenne and a dusting of crispy everything bagel dust!
Arnold Palmer Chicken Wings
| July 26, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under Cooking ~ Recipes, gluten free, grill thrills, here chickie!, published |
Arnold Palmers are a refreshing treat on a hot summer’s day. The lemon and tea pairs so well, I created a version for these deelish wings. Tailgate friendly, too!
Winter Citrus Salad… with blood orange & red wine vinaigrette ~ Sunshine!
| January 30, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under Carolina Country, dressings, gluten free, honey, low carb, published, salads, slaws and such, sensational sides, wendy's signature recipes |
Vibrant citrus fruits are plentiful in the dead of winter, and this is a great salad to brighten the dreariest of days. Don’t worry about exact measurements for salad ingredients. Use as much or as little as suits your fancy.
Sometimes you win… sometimes you lose! This time, I have a winner~ with Aunt Nellie’s!
| January 27, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under bacon & belly, contest creations, gluten free, honey, published, roasted goodness, sensational sides |
Aunt Nellie’s Bacon & Rosemary Roasted Pears n’Onions… kissed with Cinnamon Honey ~ Aunt Nellie’s 2018 State Fair Cooking Contest ~ 3rd Place Sides/Salads Winner
I love entering cooking contests. There’s rarely a win with so much great competition out there, but it’s fun coming up with ideas and getting in my kitchen to make what’s in my head come to life. But… every now and then, I end up with a winner, like my Aunt Nellie’s Bacon & Rosemary Roasted Pears n’Onions… kissed with Cinnamon Honey
Aunt Nellie’s 2018 State Fair Contest Winners
A few months back, friend Lisa Prince, who knows my passion for both entering and judging cooking contests, sent me a note about Aunt Nellie’s “State Fair” Cooking Contest. In case you don’t know, Aunt Nellie’s is a 90 year old company born in Wisconsin. Their products now include six varieties of glass-packed beets, onions, three bean salad, and red cabbage. Turns out, Aunt Nellie Jones (yep, there really was an Aunt Nellie) was a Home Economist like me… at the University of Wisconsin! And I didn’t realize until recently their first product was peas.
The contest had 5 categories, and I spent a ton of time (not to mention money) creating, testing, styling and photographing a recipe for each category. Of course, I surely was hoping for something more, (don’t we all?!?), but grateful for my 3rd place win in the “Sides and Salads” category. The prize was $25 and a box full of Aunt Nellie’s products. And I was very pleased with how this and all my recipes turned out. So maybe I will find other contests where I can tweak them and enter somewhere else since my entries are now the property of Aunt Nellie’s. That is the downside of most contests. Their fine print in rules usually states that entries become the property of the company where you entered… they can publish, use, and even change the name of it!
BUT… for those of you that don’t know but may be interested, recipes cannot be copyrighted. Processes to make a recipe can be, as are head notes/descriptives, but the recipe itself… nope. Anybody can take anybody else’s recipe and call it their own! But there is usually a way I can make revisions to a recipe to turn it into something else. And like others, I sometimes get inspiration for a new recipe from another I run across. My goal is to always create something that hasn’t yet been done 1 or 100 ways. That can be challenging, but most ideas in my crazy head are unique.
I don’t know I will do that (revamp) with my Aunt Nellie’s entries… but I did come up with a few mighty fine recipes and it would be a shame not to share some day!
The Aunt Nellie’s categories were…
Appetizers, Salads/Sides, Soups, Main Dishes and Desserts/Sweets.
So… one of these days, if I tweak my other entries, I’ll share those too. And since most contests prohibit entries that have been previously published, I’ll refrain from sharing them now in case I tweak to enter somewhere else. For now, I will enjoy this win as I’m sure there were hundreds, if not more, entries in the contest, and to be one of 15 is an accomplishment I’m tickled to enjoy! I “beet” out a many a fine cook for this honor and am excited to share with you… be sure not to miss my recipe down below.
I do hope you will pick up some Aunt Nellie’s Onions and make this really easy recipe and if you do, come over to my facebook community and tell me all about it!
- 8 sliced bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
- 4 pears, unpeeled-cored and cut into 8 wedges
- 1 large red onion, peeled, quartered and sliced
- 1 15-ounce jar Aunt Nellie's Holland-Style Onions, drained
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crumbled with fingers
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
-
Preheat oven to 425. Scatter pieces of bacon on large roasting pan and place in oven while preheating.
-
Prepare pears and red onion and place into large mixing bowl. Stir in drained onions and rosemary.
-
Once oven has heated and bacon fat has started rendering, remove and pour bacon and drippings over pear mixture. Toss to coat well. Spread out onto hot pan and roast for about 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes, until onions and pears are caramelized and bacon is cooked.
-
Combine honey and cinnamon.
-
Once this roasted goodness is removed from the oven, drizzle with the cinnamon honey. Scatter with toasted pine nuts and blue cheese. Serve immediately.
Another Serving Suggestion:
For a rustic salad, while warm, toss the pear and onion mixture into a big bowl of fresh spinach to “wilt,” drizzle with the cinnamon honey and some great balsamic vinegar. Scatter with the pine nuts and blue cheese. Also great alongside roasted chicken, turkey, pork or grilled steaks!
…not your usual St. Patrick’s Day celebration!
Okie Dokie… so my blog is getting a sloowwww start! Life has a way of keeping us bizzzzy, which is one reason I even contemplated doing a blog for a couple of years (!) before heading into blog fog. So don’t worry about my posts becoming invasive and ‘too much’ because I don’t think THAT is gonna be an issue…
This week, St. Patty’s Day to be exact, is a special day for me. Nope, I’m not Irish, but it is a day of celebration for me because…
March 17th is my Personal Day of Freedom Celebration! [singlepic id=125 w=320 h=240 float=none]This March 17th, I’m dance’n a jig as I look back on being a ‘former’ smoker… my QUIT DATE was March 17th, 2005!
WoW…6 y.e.a.r.s it’s been!
My precious little nephew Wyatt came into my world the previous September, and as much as I wanted to quit before he arrived, I just couldn’t (or more like “didn’t”). But as he grew, I didn’t want his little senses to be subjected to something even I found disgusting! I didn’t want him to SEE me smoking… I didn’t want him to SMELL the nasty stinch on my clothes… so I did it! Just six months after God blessed our family with him, I QUIT! And haven’t had or wanted so much as a puff since that day… So St. Patty’s Day will always be ‘my day,’ the day I started smelling better… breathing better… living better… and tasting foods ‘more better!’
Speaking of tasting… I found this recipe, or some form of it, years ago visiting the home of a personal chef colleague in Dallas, TX. While hanging out in Donna’s kitchen and browsing through her cookbooks, I came upon this soup in a book I made note of as “Sensibly Thin.” So that’s the best I have to offer in terms of giving credit where credit is due… but the picture is my own. It was taken before I started learning ‘more better’ food photography tips… so ‘scuse the poor quality!
This week, grocery stores have the usually expensive Corned Beef Roasts on sale, so it’s a great time to pick one (or a few) up and crock pot tomorrow while at work for a tradtional Corned Beef and Cabbage supper tomorrow night.
Then, in a few days, stir up a pot of this really DEE-lish soup with the leftovers! (And y’all know I’m a ‘throw cooker’ so throw leftever cabbage into this soup too…just yet one more layer of flavor.) It’s incredibly easy and fast to make and probably not a soup you’ve made before… Sooooo 
… celebrate something… if nothing but simply being alive with a roof over your head that a big fat wave didn’t just swoosh over, taking away everything you treasure and need to live each day, including loved ones.
With the events this past week in Japan, this Irish Blessing seems to be the appropriate one… so let us all stop to count our blessings today, and every day!
Blessings to your and yours…
Bless This House |
Bless this house, o Lord, we pray.
|
Speaking of GROCERY stores… gotta run now… our *new* Piggly Wiggly store opened in town today (wheeee doggies!)… headed there right now! 
Stay tuned… may be a blog post over there somewhere…. hope y’all enjoy this soup, just perfect for chilly winter’s eve on the doorstep of SPRING!!
This is the original recipe I created, but like my makeover one even better… that is the one you’ll find on the “Print Recipe” page! Enjoy one, the other or both… or one you create with a little of both!!
Cream of Reuben Soup (original recipe…see edited below)
Serving Size: 8
1 small onion — chopped
2 cloves garlic — minced
1 large carrot — shredded
3 T. cornstarch*
6 c. chicken broth
1 c. skim milk (I use 1/2 and 1/2)
10 oz. corned beef brisket — chopped
…from some you cooked or deli sliced
(more is a ‘good thang’)
8 oz. Bavarian sauerkraut — drained and rinsed
(I just ‘throw in’ an entire can)
1/2 t. thyme (I throw in a bit more)
1/4 t. white pepper
1/4 t. tarragon
1 t. Old Bay Seasoning
1/3 c. water (only if needed for consistency)
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
Rye or Pumpernickel Bread (for croutons) – omit or sub for gluten free
…broken into pieces and toasted**
Cook onion, garlic and carrot in microwave-safe bowl on HI for 2 mins. Drain.
Blend in cornstarch. Add broth and milk. Cook on stove over med. heat until thickens.
Add remaining ingredients and cook until cheese melts.
Serve with rye bread or croutons.
* Use a pure gluten free cornstarch to keep GF.
** I love breads, but living alone, I never eat an entire loaf. So when I buy a loaf of rye or pumpernickel, I put some in freezer to have on hand for a change of pace sandwich or for croutons for soups like this. If wrapped well, bread will last a longggg time in your freezer. These breads also can be used in recipes that call for bread crumbs… think outside the usual box and use a different kind of bread to give your recipe needing bread crumbs a new and different layer of flavor!
Cream of Reuben Soup (edited)
As a throw cooker, it’s rare that things are the same any 2 times… that is especially true when it comes to soup. I just made this recipe again, but with the following changes… basically an entirely “same but different” soup! Both recipes are DEElish… but I think I’m partial to this one. Just make some, and if you don’t have any one or more of these ingredients, as long as it is similar, you’ll be sure to enjoy the experience!
NOTE: This recipe is Gluten Free if croutons are deleted or subbed with gluten free bread or cracker! Also, use a gluten free pure cornstarch to thicken if desired.
What to throw together...
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3-4 tablespoons oil (I used garlic oil but use your fav)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large turnip, small dice
- 4 leeks, washed and sliced into thin rings
- 2 Granny Smith apples, (not peeled) small dice
- 3 tablespoons garlic puree (I use the puree in tubes from produce dept)
- 1 14.4 oz can Bavarian Sauerkraut
- 1 fresh corned beef (3-4 lbs.), cooked and chopped )I cook in crock pot overnight)
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon white pepper
- Shredded Swiss Cheese
- 8-12 sliced rye or pumpernickel bread (I use rye/pump swirl bread), cut into cubes and toasted
How to throw together...
- Cook onion, turnip, leeks and apple in butter and a bit of oil until tender and starting to brown and caramelize in saute pan.
- Pour into heated crock pot.
- Stir in garlic puree, kraut, corned beef, thyme and white pepper.
- Fill kraut can with chicken broth x 2 and with half and half x 2.
- Stir to blend and cover.
- Heat in crock pot on HIGH until hot and dried thyme is tender.
- Scoop into serving bowls. Top with grated Swiss and toasted croutons. EAT!
Notes
If preferred, make a cornstarch slurry with a bit of the juice and stir back into the soup to thicken. To keep gluten free, use a pure/gluten free cornstarch or thickener.
…a “Date with Cherry!”
| January 21, 2019 | Posted by Wendy Perry under cherries, gluten free, Mindless Mutterings from the Teacher's Lounge, sweet treats, Valentine's Day, wendy's signature recipes |
Goodness gracious, February has evaporated! My grandmas surely were right about that “time flying” thing when you’re “seasoned.” (I strive to abstain from using the word old, older or any derivative of it.) I surely don’t wish my life away, BUT, I cannot tell a lie (doesn’t that have some sort of relationship with cherry trees?)… I’m mighty glad to be seeing winter quickly moving into the rear view mirror.
I’m a Spring Chick! The R A I N BO W spring brings makes me giddy. I love looking upward to see GREEN buds on a palate of BLUE sky… and gazing down to see YELLOW buttercups already making their debut in my yard… I start looking forward to cute little roadside signs, often hand-painted, letting me know it’s time for RED strawberries… and grin when I see Lavender chive blossoms burst open for my salads (although I mostly enjoy chomping on them right out there in the yard). But there is one color I dread come spring… the glaring WHITE on my winterized legs! Now I’ve never been a sun worshiper (boring!) and I do make sure to use sun protection, but I must admit that I do feel a little better with a tad of color when debuting shorts, skirts and skorts come Spring.
Soooo, back to saying buh-bye to February. Being that it’s National Cherry Month AND being that cherries in any shape, form or fashion are about my FAV fruit, I couldn’t “march’ forward without some sort of cherry treat. My foodie friends know I’m the quintessential NON-baker, so as I looked about for inspirations, “no bake” recipes screamed w.e.n.d.y.! I’m also not one of those folks who cannot exist without sweet stuff, so this concoction realllly got me out of the proverbial ‘box.’ But when I started digging to see what I had on hand to create a new masterpiece, a “no bake sweet treat” is what emerged. I hope you enjoy making these FAST goodies as much as I did…
(“fast” + “EZ” + “no bake” = My Kind ‘o Throw Together Goodie)!
[singlepic id=118 w=320 h=240 float=none]
“A Date With Cherry”
…cherry chocolate chip date nut balls
…a recipe by Wendy Perry
Yield: 1 dozen
Prep Time: less than 10 minutes
1 c. asst. nuts/pieces* (salted or unsalted)
pinch of salt (if your nuts are unsalted)
1/2 c. dried cherries, unsweetened
3/4 c. dates (whole or pieces)
1/4 t. almond extract (Watkins)
1/4 t. vanilla extract (Watkins)
2 T. water (or if for adults, Amaretto, vanilla or cherry rum or chocolate liquer)
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. flaked coconut (half toasted)**
* This is a great recipe to use up those tidbits of nuts because a mixture is a ‘good thing’ in this recipe.
For recipe creation, I used pecans, walnuts and some macadamia nut pieces (previously toasted for another recipe).
Throw your nuts and salt into a food processor and whiz until fine crumbs. Throw cherries, dates, extracts and water (or alcohol) in and pulse until you have an ooey gooey paste. With a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.
Pinch mixture and make 1″ balls. Roll in coconut and place into freezer to firm up for about an hour. Keep chilled.
**Toast coconut in non-stick pan until some is toasted and some isn’t so you have a half-n-half mix. Bu doing this, you’ll get a nice “chew” with the bits that haven’t toasted, yet a nice toasty crunch with the flakes that are toasted.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Popcorn & Vintage Candy Bar! Fun for all…
| December 4, 2018 | Posted by Wendy Perry under corn, gluten free, holidays & breaks, party foods, shindigs & hootenannies _ parties & entertaining |
Guests both young and old will love this fun festive popcorn and vintage candy bar!
Over 3+ decades of catering, I did many a party of every description… for young and old alike! When my friend Jim called me to throw a surprise 50th for his wife, we talked about several themes, and ended up doing a variety of fun stations and bars, each features local and NC products. There was a hot dog bar, hot and cold corn on the cob station, pickle tub, pimento cheese and field pea caviar area and for dessert… a blueberry and strawberry shortcake bar too. Since there was a bunch of kiddos coming, he wanted something fun for them, so I did a great big table of old fashioned candies, peanuts and all sorts of popcorns with spicy shakes for those who wanted theirs spiffed up a bit.
Shake your popcorn…
Since Sunday was “National Business of Popping Corn Day” (and forgot to post this then), I figured this would be a good time to share this popcorn bar! With the holidaZe on the way and gatherings of friends and family, this would be a fun, budget-friendly and quick idea for your entertaining…
Folks of all ages love popcorn and vintage candies. Just keep it simple… pop corn or buy it in a big old tin… add some kettle, caramel and candied corns. See what you have in your spice cabinet, or pick up some fun salts and seasonings. I’m a big fan of Savory Spice Shop and shop often at the Raleigh location, but they have other stores all over. Or you can just shop online and have goodies sent right to your door!
Throw a sheet of burlap or something festive over a table… sit boxes of various heights up under there so you can put your containers at different levels on your table! If it’s in a dark corner, don’t forget to sit a lamp on the table. The light will give your display a “pop” and draw folks to it.
TIP: Do that with all your tables! Lighting creates beautiful ambiance for your food displays, not to mention, it helps your guests see what they are getting in dimly lit areas.
It’s also helpful to make little folded cards to sit by your foods for that same reason. You can make with stickers right onto notecards or any number of ways.
Pick up some festive “take home bags” for folks to take a goodie bag with them so you’re not stuck with leftovers…
Enjoy your holiday season, and have FUN! If you do a popcorn (or any other) bar, please do snap a picture and send me! I’d love to share your ideas here with others.
Follow Me!