Lemon Cream Pie {Egg-free} UPDATE

The last few times I have made this pie, my filling was kind of grainy.  I made it again for Easter weekend and decided to make some changes.  Ah... so much better!  It is lemony, smooth and delicious.  I am updating my original recipe here.

If you are familiar with my original recipe, I reduced the sugar in the crust because it would get kind of sticky and would stick to the pie plate.  I also took out the added sugar in the filling because the sweetened condensed milk has plenty!  I also doubled the lemon zest and adjusted the cooking instructions to make sure you don't curdle the milk during cooking.  I figured out that was my biggest problem with the filling.

Happy Easter everyone!!

Lemon Cream Pie (EF)  <<Click to link to recipe.

Southwest Barbecue Chicken

We have been trying to grill most weekend, even during the winter months.  It has been wonderful!  I love grilled food and it makes excellent leftovers!  Mmmmm.

This recipe came out of my husband's favorite grilling book.  I think a friend recommended it to him.  If you are looking for a good one, check it the link below.  The recipe below is one-third of the the one in the book.  We adjusted it for the amount of chicken we were cooking so we wouldn't have to store the leftover spice mix that would likely get lost in the cabinet.  We also added some more specific instructions.

 Try the grilled chicken cut up with some southwest tossed salad!

Southwest Barbecue Chicken

Recipe credit:  Wild Willy's Number One-derful Rub 

Smoke & Spice: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue by Cheryl and Bill Jamison

¼ c paprika

2 T black pepper

1T salt

1T sugar

2 t chili powder

2 t garlic

2 t onion

1 t cayenne (optional)

½ c vegetable oil

Mix vegetable oil and spices in a resealable plastic bag.  Place chicken into the bag.  Knead bag to coat chicken with marinade. Squeeze out air, seal bag, and refrigerate at least 4 hours up to overnight.  Remove chicken from marinade.  Grill chicken on preheated grill until browned, the juices run clear, and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest piece reads at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

We have a kamado style smoker and convection grill.  These aren’t extremely common.  But if you do have one, this is how we cooked it.  Set the dome temperature to 370 ^oF.  Cook on each side for about 10-12 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken is more than 160 ^oF. 

Blackened Tilapia

I am so glad my kids will eat fish.  It cooks up pretty quick and is a great source of lean protein.  I looked up several recipes for blackened tilapia.  Blackened Tilapia on the blog Like Mother Like Daughter is the recipe I got the most inspiration from.  Enjoy!

Blackened Tilapia
Inspired by:  Blackened Tilapia on the blog Like Mother Like Daughter

2 T chili powder
2 T paprika
2 t black pepper
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried thyme
1-2 t brown sugar
1 t salt
1 t cayenne (optional)
2 pounds of tilapia
olive oil to grease your skillet

Mix all the spices in a rimmed plate.  I like to use a glass pie plate.  Rinse and pat dry your thawed tilapia.  Press one side of the tilapia onto the spice mixture.  Turn over and press again until both sides have a thin coating of spice.  For best results, cover with plastic wrap and put into your fridge about a hour.  I have skipped this step and the fish still cooks up great.  Preheat 1 to 2 TBSP olive oil at a time in a large frying pan on medium high heat.  Place your tilapia in pan and fry 3-4 minutes on each side, or until fish is cooked throughout and flakes easily with a fork.

Pizza Rolls

These are so easy, freeze well and are a great lunchbox option!  Enjoy!

Pizza Rolls - click to link to recipe
You can even use the Pillsbury roll out pizza dough for a quick fix.  

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

We haven't let the cooler temperatures stop us from grilling this year.  My husband has made these fajitas a couple of times this month because they were such a big hit.  Plus, he was adjusting this recipe and wanted to make a few changes. We put our chicken on warm tortillas and topped them with sauteed onions and shredded cheese.  If you are are on a gluten-free diet, try corn tortillas.  Yum!

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Inspired by:  Easy Chicken Fajita Marinade at allrecipes.com

½ c vegetable oil

¼ c lime juice

2 T honey

2 T chili powder

2 T garlic powder

1 T ground black pepper
1 t salt

½ t paprika

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

Mix vegetable oil, lime juice, honey and spices in a resealable plastic bag.  Place chicken strips into the bag.  Knead bag to coat chicken with marinade. Squeeze out air, seal bag, and refrigerate at least 4 hours up to overnight.  Remove chicken strips from marinade; discard remaining marinade.  Grill chicken on preheated grill until browned, the juices run clear, and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest piece reads at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

We have a komodo style smoker and convection grill.  These aren’t extremely common.  But if you do have one, set the dome temperature to 370 ^oF.  Cook on each side for about 5 minutes per side (assuming you precut the chicken into strips) or until the internal temperature of the chicken is more than 160 ^oF. 

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Do you need a delicious chocolaty treat for your sweetie this Valentine's Day?  Try these chocolate crinkle cookies.  They are SO good!

The original recipe is actually vegan (see link below).  I changed them slightly to avoid using flax.  I don't have anything against flax, I just try to make sure the recipes on this blog are made with ingredients everyone typically has in their kitchen.  I hope to be a resource for families with food allergies.  But I also want to post easy to make recipes that can help out friends that are trying to accommodate others with food allergies but don't typically cook allergy-free.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Adapted from Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies at Spoon University

¾ c sugar

¹⁄₃ c canola oil
2 T dark corn syrup
1 t pure vanilla
¹⁄₃ c milk
½ c chocolate chips, melted
1½ c all-purpose flour
2 T cocoa powder
2 t baking powder
¼ t salt

1 c powdered sugar
¼ c granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 325°.  Melt the chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each until chocolate is smooth.  In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, dark corn syrup, vanilla, milk, and melted chocolate. Mix until smooth.  Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until fully incorporated.  Refrigerate dough for 20 minutes before rolling.  Scoop a tablespoon of dough for each cookie and roll with your hands into a ball.  Roll each cookie first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar.  The more powdered sugar now, the prettier the cookie when it comes out of the oven.  Place cookies about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 14 minutes. After baking, let cookies cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.