The rest of Easter

Finally posting the rest of the Easter pictures.  My Mom made an awesome gluten free peeps cake to look like a sunflower.  We had a nice relaxing Easter at my Moms then an exciting Easter at Shannons where we pummled each other with eggs filled with confetti. Then there are a couple of shots of Jack playing baseball. At the Southern Kentucky bookfest I got to meet Charlaine Harris and had a one hour question/answer forum with her. She was shockingly funny. I would totally go to her comic showcase , if she had one.

Easter/Wedding

The first picture is of the awesome cake pops that a volunteer Mom made in  Jack's class. They were pretty and the kids loved them.  Then just pictures of Jack playing outside.  Chaney's Dairy Barn has a new bounce pillow and Jack had allowance saved up so that was a no-brainer for him. The weather has been awesome compared to the  bad winter we have had, so we have gone to the park several times.
I had the honor of attending a coworkers wedding and kind of a going away party too. She is getting married and moving to North Carolina. Everything was beautiful and I was so happy I went. She was an awesome coworker and I loved getting to see her let loose at her wedding and dance and have a great time. I hope they have a wonderful life together.  She will be missed.

Awesome weekend

We had a full Saturday.  A nerf gun birthday party,  team pictures, a scrimmage game, an easter egg hunt , followed by playtime with Nana then a family dinner.

How to have a gluten free Italian dinner

So I woke up the day after Valentines and felt a little sad cause I really wanted an Italian Valentine's dinner and I can't just go to a restaurant and get it. So, instead of waking up depressed, I woke up hyper and ready to cook.  So, I got on Pinterest and looked at what I had in the fridge and pantry and got to preparing my evening.  Well I ended up preparing enough food for an Army, so naturally I invited the in-laws for dinner, and they were excited. Here is what I planned all gluten free of course:  Parmesan meatloaf, salad, home-made bread in the bread maker, chicken parmesan casserole, and chocolate Italian love cake.  I just used gf Italian bread crumbs for the casseroles and Betty Crocker gluten free chocolate cake mix for the Love cake. Unfortunately my bread did not turn out good, I guess there is only one way that the flappy metal turner thing fits in the bread maker and I put it in upside down and the dough never mixed. Grrrr!!! But My Mom is awesome, I can always count on her for emergency recipes.  So here is my Mom's recipe for Gluten free Italian Cheese Bisquik Bread:
1/2 cup onion or 1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup of milk
1 1/2 cup of bisquik, I used gluten free
1 cup grated cheese, I used Italian blend
2 Tblsp parsley
2 Tblsp Italian seasoning gf
couple shakes of rosemary
couple shakes of dill optional
2 Tblsp of melted butter

preheat oven to 400 degrees
Greese an 8 inch round cake pan
Combine egg and milk and add to bisquik - mix together (you want this moist, so if it seems dry, add a little milk, should be sticky
Add onion or your onion powder, half of the grated cheese and all of the seasonings, Stir.
Spread dough into pan, Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Drizzle the melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown, depends on your oven.
I got the meatloaf  and casserole prepared then put in fridge to put in the oven later. I already made the cake and put in the fridge.  I will post pictures later when the dinner is all ready. I am excited.  I'm going to go take a bath then a nap now.  Happy Valentine's weekend everyone

Happy Heart Day

Valentine's day was pretty good. I was able to get a massage ,then volunteer at my sons school for 5 hrs , I got to help out with his party at school , we made a yummy dinner and had a family game night at home. I even found some gluten free boxed chocolates.   We played Just Dance ,Wheel Of Fortune and the game of Life.   My sister in law came over too. Seeing my husband and his siblings in the same room is funny , I always thought I was competitive but boy do they hate to lose , it is quite comical.   I posted 2 photos. One of my fellas at Opryland a month ago cause it's the most recent photo I have of them together and one of my sons bag he decorated for his v-day party.  It is supposed to be a raccoon but we think it looks like a fox. Thank you Pinterest!

safe for now

I found out yesterday that my son does NOT have celiac diesease yet, but it  really isn't the type of autoimmune disease that skips a generation, so they want to test him every year. I have it, my Dad has it and we are pretty sure my Grandma had it.  Thank goodness I don't have to make a 7 year old eat gluten free just yet, cause as difficult as it was for me, it would be soooo much harder  for him. So yay, we are safe for now.  I have to have my iron checked constantly cause my anemia is so bad due to the Celiac disease.  My iron levels were so good at the appt that he lowered my dosage and said I had the best good cholesterol scores he had ever seen. Woo Hoo

Successful family dinner party

My in-laws used to have a family dinner one day every week, but now that they are both retired, we are trying to share the family dinner expenses since they are penny pinching. I should have had dinners before they retired, I just never thought of it and when someone offers to cook for you, you take them up on it, cause let's face it as a mother, you never have someone cook for you, you always have to do the cooking yourself.
So, my brother-in-laws awesome girlfriend and I are going to alternate months of hosting dinners and the in-laws will have one a month.  As my month got closer and closer, I got more nervous. It is not easy to make an entire gluten free meal good enough to please even the gluten eating people.  I think I was successful though. I had a Honey Baked Ham gift card and their meat and glazes are gluten free. So, I had salad fixings, ham, gf corn bread, mashed potatoes, baked beans, buffalo chicken casserole and gluten free chocolate chip cheesecake.
The buffalo chicken casserole, I found on Pinterest but it didn't have a link. I used only half the hot sauce to make it not as hot. It was definitely loved,  so here is that recipe: 

Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole:2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cubed (1")8-10 medium potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes1/3 cup olive oil1&1/2 tsp salt1 Tbsp. black pepper1 Tbsp. paprika2 Tbsp. garlic powder6 Tbsp. hot sauceTopping:2 cups fiesta blend cheese1 cup crumbled bacon1 cup diced green onionPreheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a 9X13" baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mixture as possible. Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside. While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the left over olive oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. In a bowl ix together the cheese, bacon and green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mixture. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.