Kettle Corn

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup uncooked popcorn kernels (to make about a full layer on bottom of large soup pot)
few shakes salt
~ 3 Tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. Heat over medium high heat, shaking constantly (cover with splatter screen!).
2. Throw in sugar and salt as soon as it starts popping.

Spice Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, add raisins and water. Simmer the mixture until 1 cup of water remains. Set raisins aside to cool in liquid. Mix remaining ingredients. Fold in raisins with the liquid into the cookie dough. Spread out evenly onto a greased jelly roll baking dish and bake 20-25 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice. Drizzle over the cookies while hot. Cool and cut into brownie shapes.

Easy-Peasy Cheesy Quiche

I've now made these 2 mornings in a row! They are SO simple and quick...and cheap!

With 2 kids not able to eat eggs, I crave quiche so much but can't really spend the time making it anymore...so this is a GREAT alternative!

I love the crispiness of the shells!

Ingredients:
15 phyllo-dough shells (bought premade)
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp green onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp pre-cooked bacon
dash salt
dash pepper
1 slice cheese (I used muenster, but you could use cheddar, monterey jack, etc).

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together egg and milk. Add green onion, bacon, salt, pepper, and cheese.
3. Fill each cup with about 1-2 tsp of egg mixture.
4. Bake about 10 minutes or until egg is fully set.

WEMPT-Free Pizza...From Scratch!!!

Italian Fried Ham & Cheese (WEMP-Free Version)

Thai Chicken Salad

WEMP-Free Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
8 large potatoes
1/2 cup dairy rich, dairy-free creamer
1 tsp garlic, minced
salt and pepper
4-8 cups water
up to 8 tsp chicken bouillon
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
about 1/4 diced onion (my own addition - really enhances the flavor!)
about 1/4 cup dairy-free sour cream
pre-cooked bacon pieces
dairy-free cheddar cheese, grated
green onions, sliced

Directions:
1. Peel and dice potatoes. Place in large pot, cover with water, and boil for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
2. Place potatoes back into large pot. Add creamer, garlic, salt and pepper, and mix with hand mixer until smooth mashed potatoes.
3. Place pot back on stove over high heat, adding 4 cups water. Whisk together until smooth. Add remaining water until it's soup like consistency (sometimes I use all 8 cups, other times I use much less, so watch and pour/whisk about a half cup at a time). Add 1 tsp chicken bouillon for each cup of water used.
4. Add carrots, onions, and celery and cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft.
5. Remove from heat and add dairy-free sour cream. Mix until well blended.
6. Pour into serving bowls. Sprinkle dairy-free cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions on top.

Gnocchi

AMAZING Pork Roast with Apple-Gingersnap Gravy

I started out working with a recipe...then a few recipes...and then ended up coming up with my own version of a bunch of different recipe ideas :)

And, I must admit, this was the absolute TASTIEST, most amazing pork roast ever!

Everyone LOVED it!

I had to leave out the gingersnaps for Derek, but his had everything else! So, super easy to modify!

AMAZING Pork Roast with Apple-Gingersnap Gravy

Ingredients for Pork:
3 lb boneless center cut pork loin roast
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp paprika

Ingredients for Gravy:
all of the liquid from bottom of pan (after cooking pork roast)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced apple, peeled
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter (or dairy free margarine)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
2-3 Tbsp cream (or dairy rich non-dairy creamer)
1/2 cup water, or as much as needed for consistency
5-6 Gingersnaps (leave out if you can't have wheat!)

Directions for Pork Roast:
1. In small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, cinnamon, thyme, ginger, cayenne, and paprika.
2. Rub all over both sides of pork roast.
3. Place roast in large baking dish and bake at 450 degrees for about an hour, or until center of roast is 160 degrees.

Directions for Gingersnap Gravy:
1. In saucepan, combine liquid from roasting dish, onion, apple, garlic, butter (or margarine), ginger, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cinnamon. Cook for about 5 minutes or until onions and apples are soft.
2. Add cream (or dairy-free creamer) and about 1/2 cup water; stir to combine. Break gingersnaps in half and drop into gravy. Wait until they absorb the liquid, and then stir to combine. If needed, add more water to make it the consistency you desire!
3. Serve gravy over sliced pork.

WEMP Free Caramel Sauce

I'm going to try to make Paula Deen's recipe for Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce wemp-free. We'll see how it goes!

For now, here's what I think will work:

WEMP-Free Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dairy-free butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup Dairy Rich Creamer (dairy-free)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar, and whisk until combined and thickened, about 2 to 5 minutes. Whisk in dairy free creamer, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Note: Sauce will thicken when refrigerated.

Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal (Wemp-Free)

I'm experimenting in the kitchen this morning!

This was a big success! It was very good and the kids LOVED it!

Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup Coffee Rich Creamer (dairy free!)
dash salt
1 1/4 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 small apple, diced
1 small container unsweetened applesauce (individual serving size)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp sugar
caramel sauce (wemp free recipe here!)

Directions:
1. In medium sized pot, combine water and dairy free creamer and bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Stir in oatmeal and set the timer for 5 minutes, reducing heat to medium-low. Stir frequently. When there is about 3 minutes left, stir in diced apple.
3. When finished cooking, stir in applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and sugar.
4. Drizzle with caramel sauce!