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Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo

Gluten-Free Macaroni n Cheese with Veggies {Recipe}

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Gluten-Free-Mac-N-Cheese

 

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Gluten-Free Mac n Cheese with Veggies {Recipe}

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 1 winter squash, pureed
  • 2 cups low fat milk
  • 6 ounces cheeses, grated (about 1 2/3 cups) (I like sharp cheddar and Monterrey Jack)
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons bread crumbs and/or parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. Boil macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes.
  3. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
  4. Meanwhile, place pureed squash and milk into a large saucepan on medium heat and cook until the mixture is simmering.
  5. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cheeses, Greek yogurt, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine.
  6. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.
  7. Sprinkle bread crumbs/parmesan cheese over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes until gold and bubbly.

Gluten-Free Oven-Fried Chicken {Recipe}

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Gluten-Free-Oven-Fried-Chicken

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Gluten-Free Oven-Fried Chicken

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/3 cups rice-corn crispy cereal (Crispex Rice/Corn is gluten-free)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
  • 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 lb. chicken tenders or 4 bone-in, skinless chicken pieces

Instructions

  1. Finely grind the cereal together in a food processor.
  2. Transfer crumbs to a large gallon size plastic bag.
  3. Add the oil, salt, cayenne, paprika, and ground pepper and toss to mix thoroughly. Whisk the light mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together in a medium shallow bowl. Add chicken to mayonnaise and turn to coat all the pieces evenly.
  4. Drop the chicken into the plastic bag, seal and shake until each piece is evenly coated. Place coated pieces on the prepared rack. Spray the chicken pieces evenly with cooking spray, and bake until the coating browns, 35 to 40 minutes.
  5. Transfer to a platter and serve hot or at room temperature.

 

Better Basket, Better You with Market Street

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#MarketStreetDFW

I actually LOVE to go grocery shopping…or at least the experience of it. Smelling the bread, touching the vegetables, seeing the new deli items, and of course, catching a sample or two. However, reading all those  nutritional labels and information can be overwhelming when you have kids in the cart with you and a list of to-dos at home that have yet to be completed.

Sometimes you just need to be able to get in there and go – but still come out with healthy items that you can make a meal with and your family can enjoy.


Build-a-Better-Basket-Market-Street-Jan-2015

Market Street has heard my plea.

On January 10 through 11, Market Street will host a “Build a Better Basket Expo” where they will showcase products and tools in stores that can help shoppers build a healthier shopping cart (in addition to free glucose screenings.) AND, they will also be serving several food samples throughout the store that are ideal to help you create a healthier family plan in 2015.

But the two-day expo isn’t the only way Market Street continues to come to the rescue to meet those NYE resolutions.

Dietitian Store Tours

Throughout the month of January, you can actually schedule to have a dietitian tour your local Market Street to teach you about how using the NuVal System works and  the store’s new health tags system to assists you in making healthy decisions for your family’s specific diet needs.

HealthTags

If you haven’t heard of the NuVal System – don’t worry!  Developed by health experts, the NuVal System provides comprehensive nutritional information with one number between 1 and 100 called the NuVal Score – making it easy for you to make better decisions. You’ll now be able to find the NuVal Score information right next to the price info, all in one place.

Whether you’re trying to be healthier, diabetic, gluten/dairy free or even want to get the kids involved in nutrition education with their Danger Ranger Tour (a fun way to promote healthy eating), you can do it with a dietitian courtesy of Market Street.

DietitianTours_btn

Healthy Recipes are Always Available – Including Gluten-Free

Need a healthy idea for dinner right now? Market Street also has you all set with a recipe collection for all meals including a gluten-free options! Considering we have a family member with Celiac’s Disease, we’ve made changes to our family’s diet so we can continue to eat the same meals as a family. However, it is a learning process on how to cook GF, so I love Market Street not just because of these recipes, but this huge list of the gluten-free products they have available. (If you are gluten-free, you know the difference between finding out if your store has that one really good GF pasta you love or the one that turns to mush!)

One of my favorite recipes I’ve found is this Sweet and Sour Chicken! Our kids love to eat Chinese food, but not only is this version GF, but also very healthy and packed with vegetables and all-natural ingredients.

Gluten-Free-Sweet-and-Sour-Chicken-sponsored

You can find all kinds of healthy options for you and you family at Market Street! 

 

Ring in the New Year with Prime Rib {Recipe}

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#MarketStreetDFW
There’s nothing like celebrating the holidays with delicious, special occasion meals. One of my family favorites is Prime Rib. Tender beef with a seasoned crust, paired with creamy spicy horseradish dipped into the rich flavor of au jus. Unfortunately, I have always had to rely on some restaurant OR someone else to make it – until now.

Prime-Rib

With help from my nearby Market Street DFW, I can pick up certified Angus Genuine Texas Beef Prime Rib AND know how to prepare it with cooking tips straight from Chef Chris. The beef from Genuine Texas Beef is made by Texans for only Texans and is available at Market Street.


Using only five ingredients and this video, my family can enjoy a meal I normally I can only get at my favorite four-star restaurant at my own family dinner table.

And a juicy prime rib dinner wouldn’t be complete without a hot bowl of au jus sauce to dip it into. Even easier the Prime Rib, with just a few ingredients and just a little bit of time, you’ll have a Prime Rib that your friends and family will ask you to make again and again.

Prime-Rib-Recipe-Market_StreetITX

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Easy Prime Rib Au Jus Dipping Sauce

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/4 cup beef fat drippings from prime rib
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups beef broth (can use packaged variety)
  • salt and black pepper

Instructions

  1. Melt fat in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Whisk flour into drippings whisking constantly until the mixture thickens (3 minutes.)
  3. Pour beef broth into mixture.
  4. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil.
  5. Boil mixture until it thickens.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Serve.

Need more assistance to create the entire meal? Genuine Texas Beef also shares their best recipe picks for the perfect Prime Rib meal including Green Bean Casserole, Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and Cranberry Citrus Sauce.

Prime-Rib-Recipe-Au-Jus-Market_StreetITX

What a way to celebrate the end of one year and welcome the next one! However, if you just don’t have the time to make it homemade, then rely on Market Street to create your perfect holiday…all you have to do is choose what you want and they will do the rest.

Best Dallas Bloggers Online Holiday Cookie Exchange

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A holiday cookie exchange is the ideal way at the holidays to reconnect with friends while stocking up on your own buffet of cookies! While I’ve hosted many exchanges, large and small, over the years, I think there are only a few guidelines to hosting the best cookie exchange. However, if you want the real lowdown on how to hand to do it by the book I suggest you the official website for cookie exchanges.

Best-Dallas-Bloggers-Online-Holiday-Cookie-Exchange.Unfortunately, as busy as many of my friends are, we decided to host an online cookie exchange featuring the tastiest recipes from some of the best bloggers in Dallas.

Since I am talking Dallas, you have to include the infamous Neiman Marcus cookie. If you’ve ever heard the myth, there was a woman who ate lunch at one of Dallas’ legendary luxury retailer. She enjoyed eating the cookie so much, she asked for the recipe. However, when she finally got her credit card bill that month she saw she had been charged $250 for the recipe. So out of revenge, she shared the recipe with everyone.


Neiman Marcus says it didn’t happen, however, the folklore is so popular, even they have put the story on their website. Funny enough I’ve actually come across multiple recipes for “the official” NM cookie recipe. However, I’ve tracked down the real one recipe – at least the one that NM claims to be the original. While basically a chocolate chip cookie recipe, it’s the special espresso powder that really give it the special something that makes you understand why you’d also pay $250 for a recipe…


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Neiman Marcus Cookies {Real Recipe}

  • Yield: 2 dozen cookies 1x
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Description

Whether or not the story of this recipe is true or not, the recipe is the real deal. While you can make modifications, start with this recipe for the best cookies. Ever. At least worth $250. (Thanks to the Neiman Marcus for the recipe! http://www.neimanmarcuscareers.com/index.shtml)

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup butter (one stick), softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 egg, large
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, semi-sweet or darker
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds). Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
  2. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips. Using a 1-ounce scoop or 2-tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.
  3. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2-inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie. – See more at: http://goodtaste.tv/recipes/showrecipe/display/neimans-authentic-chocolate-chip-cookie#sthash.I0XA6sMC.dpuf


Neiman-Marcus-Cookie

Dallas Blogger Cookie Exchange Recipes

cowboy-cookie-recipe-687x1024
Dawn Monroe | The Frugal Mom

http://www.mommieagain.com/2014/11/easy-delicious-gluten-free-dairy-free.html

Kim Croisant | Mommie Again

peppermint-chocolate-chip-meringue-christmas-cookies

Julie Grimmett | Julie is Coco and Cocoa 

 Christmas Swirl Sugar Cookies

Arena Blake | The Nerd’s Wife

Snowball-Cookies-2

 Valerie Preston | Family eGuide

Cherry-Blink-Recipe

Shannon Schmid | Milk and Cuddles

chocolate peanut butter surprise cookie (2)

Becky Moseley | Tales of Beauty for Ashes

 thumbprintlinzer-300x225

 Teia Collier | TeiaCollier.com

Christmas-Spirit-Cookies-Red-Velvet-with-Cream-Cheese-recipe-682x1024

 Betsy Segars | Lipstick & Highheels

CookiesandCream

Tammy Litke  | Three Different Directions 

What’s your favorite holiday cookie?

Go Big this NYE with Big D Baklava {Recipe}

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Want to make a big impression on New Year’s Eve?Tracking Pixel Then make this Big D Baklava – huge on flavor, not on work! 

When a group of obsessive-compulsive, Type A mom bloggers get together, we get together to plan for other get-togethers.  (Always multitasking we are!)

#Puff-Pastry-New-Years#ad


Recently a group of us met to share recipes and ideas for hosting a New Year’s Party and how to be the hostess with the mostest using Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. While I’m already a huge fan of pastry puff wrapped brie (my holiday staple), I learned that I could create an entire party menu with a little creativity and a whole lotta puff pastry!

Pepperidge-Farms#Puff-Pastry#ad

Of course, as good mothers/party planners should, we had to “test” everything.

And it was good. Oh so good!

#Puff-Pastry-Table#ad

Did you know that Pepperidge Farm makes not only puff pastry sheets, but cups too? So you can use them for savory items as well as sweet ones like these creamy mushroom puffs. (They were as good as they sounded, believe me.) The puff pastry is made like pie pastry, but when the 60 flaky layers of dough are baked, it rises eight times higher in size!  Now that’s a Puff-Out Party!

#PuffPastry-Pepperidge-Farm#ad

One of my favorite holiday recipes I’ve been making for years is baklava. My father even requests it and he is a picky eater for his birthday. However, for the holidays, I wanted to add a little something to it for an even bigger taste. By using Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry and a little touch of chipotle powder, my baklava went from great to amazing! Even if you don’t like heat, you can’t taste the spice exactly, you get a new layer of flavors that can’t be beat and using the puff pastry, you get Texas-size baklava that will bring ’em coming back for more each time.

#Puff-Pastry-Baklava-Recipe#Ad

Of course, if you want a little more flavor, you can always turn up the heat. Here in Dallas, Texas everything is always a little bit bigger and a whole lot better, so I’m sharing my recipe for Big D Baklava.

#Puff-Pastry-Pepperidge-Farm-Sheets#ad

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Big D Baklava

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 package (16 oz) Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry
  • 1 pound of nuts (I use 1/2 walnut + 1/2 pecan)
  • 1/2 cup butter (or 1 stick), room temperature so it can be spread
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper (ground)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Butter the bottoms and sides of a pan with a lip (9×13 works well.)
  3. In a bowl, mix nuts, cinnamon and chipotle together. Set aside.
  4. Unwrap 1 puff pastry sheet, lay on counter or table and coat one side with butter.
  5. Divide sheet into 12 squares.
  6. Sprinkle 1/3 of nut mixture on each square.
  7. Next with 2nd sheet of puff pastry, butter and cut squares into 12.
  8. Sprinkle 1/3 of nut mixture then cover with squares.
  9. Add remaining nuts to top of pastry.
  10. Place squares in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until brown.
  11. Meanwhile, boil sugar and water until melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
  12. Remove baklava squares from oven and spoon sauce over squares. Allow to cool. If using for gifts place on wax paper so they won’t stick. Leave uncovered or pastry will get soggy.

BigD-Baklava-#PuffPastry#Ad.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry.

 

Junior League of Arlington’s The Night Before Christmas Coffee Cake

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Junior League of Arlington’s The Night Before Christmas Coffee Cake

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 c. sugar
  • ½ c. brown sugar
  • 2/3 c. butter
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 c. flour
  • 1 sp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 c. buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon cider vinegar to 1 cup milk)
  • ½ c. brown sugar
  • 4 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ c. walnuts

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup sugar ½ brown sugar with butter.
  2. Add eggs until well blended.
  3. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
  4. Stir dry ingredients into dough.
  5. Add buttermilk and nuts until well blended.
  6. Pour mixture into 9 X 13 inch dish.
  7. In third bowl, combine ½ c brown sugar, 4 tsps. cinnamon to create crumble topping.
  8. Spring mixture on top of bread.
  9. Refrigerate overnight.
  10. When you wake Christmas morning, bake bread at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
  11. Serve with coffee and hot cocoa!

Make-Ahead Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

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Make-Ahead Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 slices bread
  • 1 lb. ham, sausage or any meat/veggies
  • 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup sharp
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp dry mustard
  • ¾ cup half and half
  • 1 2/4 c. milk
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions

  1. Slice bread and decrust.
  2. Line bread in pan.
  3. Layer cooked meat and cheese in pan.
  4. In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients.
  5. Cover meat and cheese with mixture.
  6. Then add cheese for garnish.
  7. Refrigerate overnight.
  8. The next morning cook 30 – 40 minutes at 350 F.

Chili Done Three Ways {Seen on TV}

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Chili.

The word alone evokes huge divides in friends and family when you talk about what makes a good pot of chili.

Is it the meat?


Is it the amount of time it takes to cook?

Is it the secret ingredient that you add that makes a “bowl of red” go from ordinary to extraordinary?

I dunno either. I’ve eaten a lot of chili in my time. And some I’ve loved. Some I didn’t.

MamaChallenge-on-TV-Chili-Recipes

However, I’ve been able to classify chili into three categories:

  • Chili with beans
  • Chili without beans
  • And those “other” chilis with all kinds of other things like chicken, corn, sweet potatoes…you get the picture.

And while I can spend the rest of my life learning and understanding what makes an award-winning bowl of Terlingua chili, I like to start with the basics.

Most recipes for chili I’ve found come with these basic ingredients:

  • Meat
  • Onions
  • Tomatoes
  • Seasonings
  • Broth

From then on, it’s all up to you. But using just these few ingredients, considered the basic recipe for the first pot of chili made on the trail by cowboys up and down the cattle drives, it’s good without adding anything else. But you know you will. 

The Secret Recipe

In my research I’ve found all kinds of things people put in their chili to perfect their recipe. From peanut butter, cocoa, cup of coffee, rum and much more.

However, for me, it’s the beer that really adds another level of flavor to the chili and really helps tenderize the meat. Not to mention, it gives you a great excuse to buy a six pack, use one beer for your chili and then share the rest as you enjoy a big piping bowl of chili.

[Tweet “Chili 101: Turkey, Bison & Venison make great chili, but make sure to add a little bacon fat or oil to recipe. #Chili #CookingTip “]

Topping Off Your Chili

Another very personal point to cover about chili is how you dress it. The extras are often what gives chili that final touch of deliciousness. Cornbread, cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, crackers, tortilla chips, Fritos corn chips – those are just the start of what I’ve seen grace the top of a bowl.  I don’t think you can really put a science on what is the best topping, but I can promise you this: if you come to my house, we got ’em all. And I suggest you do too since some people might not even eat their chili if there’s not cheese and a little something crunchy to go with it.

Want s’more, please?  

Chili-Recipes-Done-Three-Ways

Chili Done Three Ways

Easy-5-Ingredient-Texas-Chili

Easy 5-Ingredient Texas Chili

White-Bean-Chicken-Chili-Pinterest

White Bean Chicken Chili

Tex-Mex-Chili

Tex-Mex Chili Recipe

 Homemade Chili Seasoning Blend

Easy 5-Ingredient Texas Chili {As seen on TV}

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Easy-5-Ingredient-Texas-Chili

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Easy 5 Ingredient Texas Chili

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb. beef, chopped or ground
  • 2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 2 Tbsp. chili seasoning blend
  • Broth (2 cups of chicken broth OR 1 12 ounce of your favorite beer)
  • Optional: 2 (15 oz.) cans beans, drained (However, if you use beans, don’t call it Texas Chili.)

Instructions

  1. In a large stockpot, cook meat over medium-high heat until browned, stirring frequently.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the onion is cooked and softened.
  4. (At this point you could serve your chili and it would be great. Don’t though. You want it to be awesome, so let it simmer longer. Or better yet, cook it, cool it and eat it tomorrow. It will be awesome.)
  5. Serve warm with additional toppings if desired.

Want s’more, please?  

Chili-Recipes-Done-Three-Ways

Chili Done Three Ways

Easy-5-Ingredient-Texas-Chili

Easy 5-Ingredient Texas Chili

White-Bean-Chicken-Chili-Pinterest

White Bean Chicken Chili

Tex-Mex-Chili

Tex-Mex Chili Recipe

 Homemade Chili Seasoning Blend

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