Almond Flour Waffles Recipe

It is always fun to turn your day upside down by eating breakfast for dinner.  That is what we decided to make for dinner tonight.  My kids wanted pancakes and bacon.  I have already talked about how my husband makes really good pancakes.  Tonight, he even made a bunny face pancake for our daughter with chocolate chips for the eyes, nose, and mouth.

The only thing is, I really like waffles better.  So, we decided to make both tonight!  A couple years ago, a few of my friends got together and bought me a waffle-maker.  I love it!  I have used it to make waffles from a mix, but tonight I tried to make waffles from scratch.  Here is my recipe.

Almond Flour Waffles

4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the waffle-maker until the ready light comes on.

While the waffle-maker is warming up, start making the waffle batter.  In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, vanilla, and honey.  Then add the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Mix all of the ingredients together.

When the waffle-maker is ready, spray the insides of the waffle-maker with Pam to keep the waffle from sticking.  Then using the scoop that came with the waffle-maker, pour some of the batter into the waffle-maker.  (The scoop is about 1/2 cup, but it will depend on your waffle-maker how much you should use.)  Close the lid, and wait for the waffle to cook.  When the waffle is fully cooked, take it out and place it on a plate.  Repeat with the rest of the batter, but be sure to spray the waffle iron before you pour on new batter.

Serve the waffles with your favorite toppings.  Tonight I used maple syrup, but I also like to top my waffles with ice cream.  I remember my mother always having waffles and ice cream when my brother Jon came home to visit.  What are your favorite toppings?

<3 Cassidy

Gluten Free Cocktail Meatballs Recipe

Tonight we went to dinner at a friend's house, and we all brought appetizers.  One friend brought a bean and guacamole dip and chips, which was absolutely amazing.  Another friend brought beet hummus, which also was spectacular.  The host made homemade bread (which I was unable to eat) and an almond,honey,chocolate mixture to spread on the bread.  This was so amazing that I ate it by the spoonful.  I hope that they will share that recipe soon, so I can share it with all of you.

As you can tell, the people that come to this dinner are very good cooks.  So, I have to try to keep up with their culinary expertise.  When I am unsure about what to make, I think about some of the recipes my mother made as a child.  One of the appetizers I remember fondly was cocktail meatballs.  My mother brought it to parties and served it with toothpicks.  It was always fun eating something with toothpicks.  I remember that I always had to grab some of these early, because there were never any left.  So, I decided to make it for tonight.  I adapted the recipe my mother made when I was younger to make it gluten free.

Cocktail Meatballs

1lb ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 small onion, grated or 2 tbsp dried minced onion
3/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
3/4 cup Heinz chili sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp lemon juice

Combine the ground beef, egg, almond flour, grated onion, salt, pepper, and oregano.  Then mix everything together well using your hands.  Form the mixture into 1-inch balls.  You should get between 25-30 meatballs.

In a skillet, combine the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice.  Simmer it on low until it is a smooth consistency, stirring constantly.  Add meatballs gently and simmer for 1 hour.  Then serve.

Tonight I decided that 1lb of ground beef was not enough to bring to our dinner, so I tripled this recipe.  No, this is not a typo.  I made 3lbs of meatballs, but we took home only roughly 5 meatballs.  So, I would say that this recipe was a huge success.

Cook's Notes:  This recipe can also be made using a crockpot.  You combine the meat make the meatballs the same way I stated above, however you place them in the crockpot.  Then you mix the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a skillet.  Stir it constantly until the mixture is smooth.  Then pour it over meatballs and cook it on low for 4-5 hours.  It is just as delicious cooking it this way, so do what is easier for you and your family.

I hope you enjoy making it to bring to an appetizer party or for a fun dinner of appetizers at home.

<3 Cassidy

Potato Salad Recipe

My husband is a professor at a local college in town, and he has a few students who work for him during the summer.  One of the things that people miss when being away from home is a home cooked meal.  So, we try to invite his students over once during the summer to thank them for all of their hard work.  The summer is quickly coming to a close, so we realized that we needed to invite them over soon.  So, we decided to have a cookout.  My husband grilled hamburgers, and I made salad and potato salad.  I have been making this particular potato salad since we were newlyweds.  My husband really likes this version, so he specifically requested it for the cookout.  Here is my recipe.

Potato Salad

2.5lbs red potatoes
3 eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 small green pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
pepper

Cut the potatoes into cubes, and place them in a large pot.  Cover the potatoes with water, and bring the water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, turn on your timer for 15-20 minutes.  Cook the potatoes until they are tender.  Drain them in a colander, and pour them into a large bowl.  Set them aside to cool.

While you are boiling the potatoes, you will need to be hard-boiling the eggs.  Place the eggs in a small pot with a cover, and fill the pot wither water until the eggs are covered.  Cover the pot with it's cover and bring the water to a boil.  Once the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the stove.  Leave the eggs in the pot, with the burner off, for 15 minutes.  Then remove the eggs from the water and let them cool until you can touch them.  Once they are cool to the touch, you can peel and chop them and add them to the potatoes.

Mix in the mayonnaise, onion, green onion, and pepper.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate the potato salad for several hours or overnight.

The students really enjoyed the cookout.  The weather was beautiful, and the bugs even stayed away for most of the meal.  We ended our meal with yummy brownies.  We are looking forward to doing it again next year.  

<3 Cassidy