Anyhow, here are some new recipes for you to try.. Some are for those coveted food-free treats that Emmett loves, others are for real food!
Lemon Pie Filling.. Seriously, once you learn how easy this is to make from scratch, you're going to wonder why you ever bought those over-priced boxes from the store.. Especially once you realize that all you're paying for is lemon juice and cornstarch! (You add the sugar, egg and butter to the mix anyhow..).. This has been a favourite around here for ages.. And since it wouldn't be complete without it, here's how to do a basic meringue.. You could do all this in a pie crust.. But we're kinda different around here, and we just put the lemon filling into glass ramekins, topped them with the meringue, and ate them without a crust.. (makes it gluten-free, low fat and you can pretend it's healthier.. Definitely makes it easier too! ;) )
Greek-style salad dressing.. This came about from one of those random cravings and google adventures, but the result was this beautiful dressing that doesn't need refrigeration..
Crispy Rice Squares.. Don't even think this is a recipe for marshmallows and Rice Krispies cereal.. It's from the first phase of Emmett's restricted food adventures... So this is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, peanut-free.. And it's by far one of his favourites.. He actually likes this better than the marshmallow version!!
Ricotta Cheese... Yes, that's correct, how to make ricotta cheese.. Note, this requires that you've already made a batch of cheese, as it uses the leftover whey.. My cured cheese is still curing, so until it finishes, I won't be posting that one.. So for now, this is just a temptation, but there will be more cheese recipes later, I promise.. ;)
Honey-Mustard Meatballs.. The original recipe was for turkey-meatballs, but I didn't have any ground turkey, I did have pork and beef though, so I went with that.. They were delicious! We all loved them.. In fact, my kids cried when they realized I ate the last few for lunch about 4 days later! (This was Melanie's birthday dinner this year.. She wanted Meatballs, and I had this recipe I wanted to try.. ;) ).. This would be a perfect dish to take for a pot-luck too!
Peanut Butter Power Balls.. This is my secret to a happy Emmett at school.. As a typical 6 year old, he doesn't eat much while he's at school.. but if I pack him 2 or 3 of these things, he'll happily devour them.. And he's getting something that is nutrient dense and that he really enjoys.. We all win.. (Of course, I'm lucky that he goes to one of the only schools that still allows peanut butter.. but you could make these just as easily with sun butter or pea butter or whatever..)
Slow Cooker Mediterranean Beef.. This started as one of those "what can I make to use up.." type dishes.. And it was so good! Definitely one that may be done again..
Chinese 5-spice chicken.. The original recipe was for a quick-marinade followed by grilling.. I wasn't in the mood for that.. I chose to use the marinade in my slow-cooker instead, and then browned the cooked chicken on my indoor grill.. I also used some of the cooking liquid to stir-fry some veggies in to go along with it.. It was a very tasty meal! My kids kept asking for all the leftover chicken from this one too.. Gotta love when we make lots of good food! ;)