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Nourished Festival (GFAF)

Hello friends! We are so pumped to see that Nourished Festival (formerly known as GFAF, Gluten Free, Allergy Friendly) is going to be in our neighborhood this year! If you’re a Midwesterner, get ready – this year’s conference is in Schaumburg, IL, on June 1 – 2, 2019. Nourished Festival is the largest gluten free, allergy free and special diet festival in the United States. Conferences like this are so exciting because it’s such a great opportunity to network, sample new products and learn about emerging technologies in this ever changing industry. Let me mention our favorite part again. SAMPLING NEW PRODUCTS. Just peeking at the Nourished Festival site today,…
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Sweet Banana Bars

Two great things that go great together, banana bread and frosting. Typically I do not frost items that we eat for breakfast; however, I was in a pinch and needed a quick dessert. Frosting a banana bread that I had already made was the perfect, time-saving idea. And here is the recipe. Ingredients   1/2 cup butter, softened (unsalted) 2 cups sugar 3 large eggs 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur) 1 teaspoon baking soda pinch of salt Frosting 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened (Kraft)  1/2 cup butter, softened 4 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla…
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Lite Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

I fully intended on blogging tonight about my failed recipe disaster, minus an oven fire. You see, any creation that comes out of a kitchen with two wild animals roaming freely is bound to end in disaster, eventually, if not regularly. I regularly mess things up in the kitchen when I’m cooking / baking, mostly because I’m half responding to the random MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM questions buzzing in my ear. The point is not to dwell on it, then just eat it or throw it out and move on…to McDonalds. Fortunately, luck was on our side tonight. We were multitasking ninjas and decided it was a splendid time to…
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Chocolate Christmas Cupcakes

It wasn’t our plan to make Christmas cupcakes this year, but when we found these adorable nut-free Wilton gingerbread people, we couldn’t resist. The recipe we found online had over 240 positive reviews for “decadent chocolate cupcakes” and we decided to give it a try….after two cups of coffee! FIRST: Preheat your oven to 350. Line that cupcake holder with 12 festive liners or a whole lot of Pam spray if you’re not lining (totally fine, too!). Make sure your EGGS and BUTTERMILK are at room temp. If you don’t have buttermilk, which I never do, just google a substitute   Decadent Chocolate Christmas Cupcakes Ingredients 3/4 cup flour 1/2…
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Christmas Eve Eve Dinner

Christmas Eve Eve is celebrated on December 23 and we traditionally have a Mexican Fiesta. This started a few years back when my Dad brought handmade Tamales for dinner. It’s a great meal, and nice to have something different during a time where many meals are heavy and extremely unhealthy. Tamales are not healthy, but all the sides we make with it are. Plus, it’s SUPER easy, nut-free and everyone loves Mexican food!!! Here’s our menu. It’s also a good day to kick back a little and enjoy the holidays without the pressure of cooking / being in the kitchen since Mexican food can kind of just chill out for…
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