Snicker Bars Are Healthy?

Yummy, but not good for you, until now!

Hey guys! My friend Becky from church has a bunch of deliciously simple ideas of her own! I'm going to have her as a guest writer from time to time. You can take it from here, Becky!

Snicker bars are healthy? No. No they are not. Snicker bars are delicious and awesome, but definitely not healthy... UNLESS you utilize a trick my college roommate taught me! I've been doing this for years, but I'm not saying how many since college was longer ago than I care to admit lol.

So here's what you do:

Step 1: Buy a King Size Snicker bar. It needs to be King Size in order for the finished product to be large enough to enjoy eating lol.

Step 2: Place the candy bar in the freezer for 10 min. This will chill the chocolate outer layer just enough.

Step 3: Use a pearing knife or cheese grater to scrap most of the chocolate off of the bar. I like to cheat and leave a little bit because let's face it the chocolate IS delicious lol. (BONUS: The cheese grater can leave you with a great ice cream topping for your kids or your husband!)

Step 4: Eat that thang! And feel great about it! Most of the calories and sugar are in the chocolate part of the candy bar, but the inside is still yummy. And the inside has a ton of protein and calcium, so you're getting good nutrition out of it!

DELICIOUS AND SIMPLE,
Becky :)

Gluten Free Flour Substitute

Disclaimer: I am not completely gluten free, but I wish I had the will power to stick to this fabulous diet. I do try my best, but my love of baking, and wheat in general, makes it really difficult for me. I do however, on occasion try to cut down on my gluten intake.

When it comes to baking, flour is essential, but gluten free flour is both expensive and very dry once baked. Many times the intense heat of the oven causes the various types of less expensive flour to over cook when it's glutenous counterpart would have held it's own. Many varieties of gluten free flour are pushing $20 per package, and as the gluten free movement continues, the prices continue to climb.

I have a solution that I have been playing with for a couple of years now that usually does the trick for me!

• Start with 1 pound of unshelled salted peanuts. Separate the peanuts from the shells, setting about 1/4 of the shells to the side. Discard the remaining shells. Be sure to remove all of the peanut skins from the peanuts themselves.
• Add the peanuts and the remaining shells that were set aside into a food processor and chop until it is a fine, flour-like texture.
• Add 4 Tablespoons of corn starch and blend together
• Add 1 cup of dry milk powder (I have used both Walmart Brand "Great Value" and Organic Valley brand. Both work, OV is slightly better, but also much more expensive). Mix in food processor until flour-like.
• Store in an air-tight container until ready to use

Now you have a flour substitute that is both gluten free and packed with protein.

I have a great cake recipe that I use this mixture with that I will dig up shortly!

DELICIOUS AND SIMPLE

Use your Old Grapes to Kill Spiders

I do not get along with spiders. I know this is a completely irrational fear, and I know most are completely harmless. That said I'm pretty sure once I let down my guard is when they are going to attack me in my sleep, biting me repeatedly while their "harmless" venom slowly paralyzes me, rendering me immobile and incapable of crawling away from their plans to harvest my blood, organs, and innards.

Needless to say, I am willing to do just about anything to get those blood sucking masterminds away from me.

One useful tip that I like to try is to place a bag of old grapes (I have had the best luck with red grapes) under the sink near the the wall, but not touching it. I don't know why this works, but it seems to draw them in as I usually find a pile of dead spiders near the bag. Of course, there are trade offs. Old fruit tends to attract fruit flies, but in my book I much prefer the company of fruit flies to spiders!

Charge into your Super Bowl Party with Wings That They Will Be Talking About Long After!

If you are like me you have a few Super Bowl parties to choose from, and the food list is already filling up. But if you are really like me, you are being asked to the party not just for your fun attitude and willingness to feign interest in the game, you are on high demand for your wings!

I made a promise that I would not hold any ideas back from my readers, so here is my secret Wings recipe that will surely leave your guests talking long after the final seconds run out.

You will need:

• ¼ cups Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• ½ teaspoons Sweet Paprika
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
• ½ tablespoon Onion Powder
• ½ teaspoons Cayenne Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Canola Oil
• 1 finely chopped Habanero Pepper or Ghost Chili

Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until just starting to bubble. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool. Store in an airtight bottle. Keep refrigerated until needed.

Be sure to fry your wings up to a crispy texture to add that snap to your dessert. Sometime I'll even throw them on a hot grill for a few seconds to get a nice char before tossing them in the sauce.

For a fun twist, try adding radishes as a garnish. When complimenting a good buffalo sauce, the flavor is like celery on steroids!

Want your Eggs to Stop Sticking to the Pan?

Ugh, I HATE when my eggs stick to my "non stick pan" don't you? Why do I always have to have the ring of disgusting cooked egg skin substance at the top of my pan, and why does the middle of my pans always seem to want to hold onto my omelets?

A coworker recently gave me this trick, which worked surprisingly well and realkly didn't affect the taste of my dishes.

She suggested that I try rubbing pickle juice on the non-stick surface of my pan before and after each use, adding slightly more juice before cooking delicate dishes such as eggs. I thought she was crazy, but after giving it a whirl, I can't say that it didn't work out.

You just never know what you are going to learn some days!

Need a New Mojito Idea? Alphonso Olives to the Rescue!

In the summer there are few drinks that compare to the mojito. What a classic combination of tart and sweet. The difference between a well made mojito and your run-of-the-mill rail mixed bar concoction can be the difference between that little taste of heaven at the end of the day that you have earned, or being invited to your girl friends house for another viewing of Season 3 of The Bachelor on Blu-Ray. I mean, who wants to watch any more Andrew Firestone than they have to. We get it Andrew, you aren't in the tire side of the family business.

Mojitos have been through a weird evolution of late with all sorts of flavors popping up. I have searched high and low for the perfect oddball take on this classic. I know it sounds weird, but here is what I found after wrestling the recipe out of the bartenders grip:

Alphonso Olive Mojito 

courtesy of Firecreek Pit House and Liveries

12 mint leaves1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice12  Alphanso Olives1/2 tablespoon light agave nectar1 1/2 ounces light rum1 ounce Grain Alcohol
2 oz. soda waterAdditional olives for garnishMuddle the mint, lime, and olives together in a tumbler until sufficiently juicy. Add rum, grain alcohol, and agave nectar and shake with ice. Pour and top with soda water.

Sounds crazy, but trust me, you will thank me later!