While it hasn’t always been the case, we love waffles for breakfast. (And it’s hard to beat the smell of warm, golden waffles fresh from the iron). We’re so glad this gluten free waffle recipe lets us continue to delight in the occasional waffle indulgence! :)

Growing up in my family, we didn’t really eat waffles much. On the rare occasions we did, we just had the pre-made frozen ones from the grocery store. It wasn’t until I got to tag along on a business trip to France with my father that I first discovered waffles could be anything more than a bland, starchy vehicle for sugar and syrup.

My previous (in)experience with waffles would probably have kept me from trying them on that trip, except for the irresistible smell wafting from the crêperie across the street from our hotel. It took a couple (fantastic) breakfasts to discover the source of the aroma, but ever since, waffles have been a guilty pleasure.

Admittedly, we still typically make pancakes more often than we dig out the waffle iron, but that just makes it more special when we do have waffles, right?

These mini waffles were made with blueberries and apricots, but feel free to use whatever fresh fruit is in season where you live!

Gluten Free Waffle Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: alittleinsanity
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 2-4 servings

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Description

These classic waffles are a fantastic way to enjoy fresh seasonal fruit, but they’re great on their own too!

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Ingredients

• 1 egg (or egg replacement)
• 3/4 cup of milk (or oatmilk or other milk replacement)
• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 1.5 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup of Erika’s GF Flour Blend
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of sweetened coconut flakes (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat waffle iron.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla.

3. Add the flour and a sugar and mix well with a whisk until fully combined. If using, stir in the coconut.

4. Spoon in approximately ¼ – ½ cup batter in to the hot waffle iron.

5. Cook waffles on high until golden or about 5-6 minutes.

6. Serve with your favorite toppings.

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Notes

• The coconut in this recipe is very subtle and adds a touch of sweetness and moisture to these delicious gluten free waffles. 

"Gluten Free Waffle Recipe" was published by A Little Insanity.

Meatball recipes abound the world over. Between Greek Keftedes, Chinese Lion’s Heads, Dutch Bitterballen, Italian Polpettes, French Crépinettes, Spanish Albondigas, etc, there is certainly no shortage of variety. That being said, I vaguely recall reading that the Dutch South African variation (Skilpadjies) have a reputation (in South Africa) for being not just the best meatball, but the “most delicious thing on the planet.” This is precisely the reason I’ve been wanting to try making this meatball recipe for a while now.

…A quick Google search confirms that Crush Magazine declared that exact phrase (“the most delicious thing…”) as the “official definition” of skilpadjies. Of course, a more literal translation from the Afrikaans would be “pan patties.” :) 

The occasion… 

Since before my wedding last summer, I’ve been a part of a “Galentine’s Day” tradition. I don’t know how much longer I will be a part of it (given that I am no longer single and fewer and fewer of my friends are single), but for this year, at least, we hosted guests in our home for the event. We did a multicourse meal and watched a chick flick.

Wanting to mix things up a little, I decided to try some new things in the kitchen. Among them, I finally made some skilpadjies. I found it surprisingly difficult to find a recipe. Even the recipe I link to above is one that involves modifying pre-made skilpadjies from a package rather than making them from scratch. I have some South African family living near me, but they are of German rather than Dutch descent, so I wasn’t able to get my hands on a recipe passed down from previous generations. Not easily discouraged, I took to improvising something on my own.

What I knew…

The two things I knew about the dish were that it was made from ground lamb liver wrapped in caul fat (a.k.a. crépine or netvet) and that it was typically spiced with coriander. This was a good start; but when I called around to different butcher shops, they often misheard my request and thought I meant “cow fat” rather than “caul fat.” A couple at least knew what I was talking about, but none had any in stock. Eventually, one Italian butcher shop claimed to have a supply of frozen caul fat available for purchase. When I got there though, I was informed that they hadn’t carried caul fat in years.

Not wanting to waste the trip, I perused the aisles and bought a few things. While I was browsing, I overheard someone requesting a custom grind of meat. Having intended to use my own meat grinder at home (and therefore have a big mess to clean up afterwards), I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my butcher could do this for me (at no extra charge).

Anyway, long story slightly less lengthy, I found a specialty meat shop able to get me some caul fat, but I almost didn’t get it. To my surprise, instead of calling me when it came in (as promised), they took to making their own specialty items with it. All’s well that ends well though (they sold me probably 20 times what I needed for just $3).

I’m not sure the caul fat was strictly necessary, but it made for some pretty pictures and some lovely flavor. Of course, it also ensured the meatballs didn’t fall apart during cooking and saved me from having to make up a batch of gluten free bread crumbs.

For the meat blend…

The butcher didn’t have any lamb on hand and I wasn’t sure if my guests would be okay with a purely liver meatball, so I went with equal parts beef liver, beef chuck, and pork jowl.

PRO TIPS for getting a custom ground meat blend at the butcher shop:

Out of courtesy, it is best to go near closing time for the shop (as they will have to clean the machines at the end of the day anyway, but would have to do so an extra time if you visit earlier in the day). If your butcher doesn’t mind, ask them to run the meat twice through a medium blade (which leaves enough texture to be interesting).

The Tools & Ingredients Used in this Recipe:

Skilpadjies – Gluten Free South African Meatball Recipe

★★★★ 3.7 from 3 reviews

• Author: alittleinsanity – Shannon
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 30

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Description

Skilpadjies are a naturally gluten free meatball recipe because they don’t rely on bread crumbs as a binder, but rather use caul fat (a.k.a. crépine or netvet) as a tasty casing to hold everything together (and lend a flavor reminiscent of bacon).

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Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground lamb rump (or other lean cut of meat such as lamb leg, beef chuck, pork loin)
• 1/2 lb ground lamb liver (or beef or pork liver)
• 1/2 lb ground lamb breast (or other fatty cut of meat such as pork belly, beef navel, beef short rib)
• 1/4 lb caul fat
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 large egg (optional)
• 5 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• optional wheel of either Brie or Camembert cut into small chunks

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Instructions

1. Put the ground meat, onions, scallions, egg (optional), coriander, salt, and pepper into a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. (I use my hands)
2. Form little patties. I made mine roughly 1.5 inches in diameter and roughly 0.75 inches thick.
3. If you are adding the optional cheese (Brie or Camembert), make sure you’ve got chunks hidden inside your patties.
4. Wrap your patties in a layer of caul fat. It sticks pretty well to the meat and to itself, so you won’t need to tie any fancy knots or anything.
5. Preheat you frying pan with your favorite cooking oil.
6. Pan fry the patties until they form a deep brown crust (flipping every 30 seconds or so to ensure even and thorough cooking without burning).

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Notes

• Lamb meat would be the most traditional (and in my opinion the tastiest), but substitute away if you have different preferences and/or just want to try something different.

• If you want a more nutritious/traditional/flavorful batch, skip the rump (or equivalent) and double up on the liver.

"Skilpadjies – South African Meatball Recipe" was published by A Little Insanity.

Callaloo Soup is my father’s favorite dish. He hasn’t had it much since leaving the nutmeg plantation in Grenada where he grew up. When I was a kid, our family went back for a visit.

I got to see the plantation and my father’s childhood home (both of which had long been abandoned). We also got to try a lot of foods Dad used to rave about but I had never seen.

I found the fired-roasted corn on the cob a bit disappointing (flavor and texture of burnt, un-popped popcorn); but I instantly fell in love with the smooth, creamy callaloo soup. Every restaurant we went to and every home we visited had a slightly different way of preparing it, but they all shared a distinctive taste (provided by the callaloo and the liberal use of nutmeg).

What is Callaloo?

Callaloo is a popular vegetable in the West Indies, and as with many foods in the Caribbean, it goes by different names in different places. It also isn’t perfectly consistent what specific plant is referred to when one hears “callaloo.” Taro (aka dasheen) and amaranth leaves are the usual suspects.

Early failure…

After returning home from that trip, I tried a few times to simulate the distinctive flavor of callaloo with ingredients I could find in the local grocery store. My first couple attempts didn’t turn out so well. The recipes I found online were more Jamaican or Trinidadian (both of which use okra for flavor and thickening) than Grenadian, so weren’t exactly what I was after. Eventually, I gave up on it.

Every few years, I would try again. Usually this would be the result of seeing some exotic leafy green at a supermarket that I was unfamiliar with and therefore could be a potential substitute. After several more failed attempts, it fell off my radar.

Surprise success!

Fast forward to the end of summer 2020, when I made dinner for my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. I had intended to make (among other things) a creamy asparagus soup, but discovered that the coronavirus pandemic had indirectly resulted in a global asparagus shortage.

Because I left the shopping pretty late, I didn’t have much time to come up with an alternative and I wanted it to be something special (or at least not something they eat all the time). Remembering I had some dried fenugreek leaves at home, I thought maybe that and some fresh spinach might produce a passable Callaloo Soup.

In any case, the soup was a big hit! My father thought I nailed the flavor, and my better half has since had me make three more large batches (in less than a month).

PRO TIP: Apparently spinach can produce an undesirable mouth feel. I’m not particularly sensitive to it myself, but my partner is better attuned to such things. They helped me discover that this soup won’t produce it if you add half a cup of Gluten Free Bechamel Sauce.

The Tools & Ingredients Used in this Recipe:

Gluten Free Callaloo Soup Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: alittleinsanity
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 45
• Total Time: 1 hour

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Description

There are countless variations of Callaloo Soup found throughout the Caribbean Islands. The ingredient for which it is named is difficult to find elsewhere, so this gluten free callaloo soup is a quick, easy alternative that can be made with readily available ingredients.

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Ingredients

• 3 leeks
• 1/4 cup of butter or alternative
• 1/2 cup of dried fenugreek (aka Kasoori Methi) or alternative (1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried mustard greens, curry leaves, or celery leaves)
• 10 ounces of fresh spinach
• 1 quart of soup stock (I use chicken, but any will do)
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• ground nutmeg (fresh ground is better, but not strictly necessary)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream (optional)
• 1/2 cup of bechamel (optional)

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Instructions

1. Wash and chop the leeks and put them into a stock pot with the butter (or alternative) and lightly simmer for a few minutes (until just starting to brown).
2. Add the dried fenugreek (or alternative), soups stock, and curry powder; lid the pot and let simmer for half an hour.
3. Add the spinach, lid the pot, and let simmer until the spinach is wilted (2 or 3 minutes).
4. Remove from heat and add cream and bechamel (if you so desire)
5. Purée the contents of the pot (I use an immersion blender, but it can also be done in a regular blender).
6. Put into bowls; add salt, pepper, and nutmeg; serve.

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Keywords: Callaloo, soup, gluten free, vegan

"Gluten Free Callaloo Soup" was published by A Little Insanity.

As is becoming more and more common knowledge, Northern Italy builds so many of there dishes on the foundational flavors of a soffritto (the Italian word for “under-fried,” which typically refers to a gently sautéed mix of onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil) . In that regard, this gluten free Tuscan tomato sauce recipe is no different.

While this recipe takes some time, very little of it is active time. I mostly use this to bolster a store bought sauce into something intensely flavorful. I love experimenting with it using different sauces. This time I used Newman’s Own Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce.

Sometimes I add olive oil poached garlic; sometimes I add meat (like I did with my leftover skilpadjies when I made this batch); and sometimes I use some fresh San Marzano tomatoes blitzes in the blender to liven things up a bit. :)

The Tools & Ingredients Used in this Recipe:

Gluten Free Tuscan Tomato Sauce Recipe

★★★★ 4 from 1 reviews

• Author: alittleinsanity – Shannon
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 6 hours
• Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes

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Description

Give any store bought tomato sauce a serious flavor boost!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup dice onions
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• A 24 oz jar of your favorite tomato sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste (I think I used roughly 2 tsp of each)

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Instructions

1. Soften the onions in olive oil over medium heat (roughly 2 or three minutes).
2. Add salt, carrots, and celery and cover for 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add pepper and your jar of tomato sauce.
4. Optionally add another tablespoon or two of olive oil.
5. Optionally simmer for up to 6 hours.

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Notes

• The longer the sauce simmers, the softer the vegetables will be, the more concentrated the flavors will be, and if you added the extra olive oil before simmering, the more the sauce will taste reminiscent of fried tomatoes (which I happen to love).

• Beyond 6 hours, there appears to be no additional benefit to the flavor (if anything, the sauce starts to lose both color and flavor around that point).

• If you want a meat sauce, feel free to add some meat. For this batch, I did just that. (I had some leftover skilpadjies that I thought would go well here)

Classic Italian Soffritto

After simmering 6 hours

"Gluten Free Tuscan Tomato Sauce Recipe" was published by A Little Insanity.

Since originally posting this recipe, tens of thousands of people have tried it & love it too! It’s been featured in magazines, online & enjoyed around the world. I hope you’ll make it a part of your family’s traditions too. 

Use this Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe with my Chicken Pot Pie Recipe, Dairy Free, Soy Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe, or my Apple Pie Recipe.

This crust rolls out smooth, can be cut into fancy decorations, bakes up perfectly light, and tastes amazing! Feel free to make the crust in advance and keep it in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to use it. Plus, you can easily adapt this for desserts or main dishes.

* If you’re looking for a Gluten Free AND Vegan Pie Crust Recipe, click here for that one – It’s Egg Free. *

The Tools & Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:

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Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe

★★★★★ 4.8 from 29 reviews

• Author: Erika
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 Bottom Crusts or 1 Set
• Category: Baked Goods
• Cuisine: Gluten Free

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Description

Gluten & Dairy Free Pie Crust – Sweet or Savory This recipe makes 2 Bottom Pie Crusts or 1 Set (top & bottom) Pie Crusts.

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Ingredients

• 2 Cups of Erika’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (or you can use King Arthur’s Brand)
• 1/2 Cup Palm Shortening, Coconut Oil (chilled), or Real Butter
• 1 Egg (CLICK HERE for my GF VEGAN Pie Crust Recipe)
• 2/3 Cup Water (approx. depending on consistency – add a little at a time – not too wet, not too dry.)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt (or season to taste)
• 2 Teaspoon Sugar (you can omit or sweeten additionally to taste)
• Extra GF Flour or Tapioca Starch for Dusting

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Instructions

1. Mix together the Gluten Free Flour along with optional Salt & Sugar.
2. Blend in Shortening (or butter) with Pastry Tool or Fork, and mix until crumbly.
3. Add in Egg and mix until well incorporated – mixture will still be crumbly.
4. Add Water by stirring in 1 Tablespoon at a time until dough holds together for rolling – better a little moist, then too dry.
5. Cut Mixture in Half and roll into 2 balls (one for each crust or topping).
6. Shape dough balls into disc with floured hands and place onto a sheet of floured parchment or wax paper.
7. Cover with an additional sheet of parchment or wax paper. Roll crust out to slightly larger than your pie tin.
8. Remove top parchment/wax paper and Slip hand gently under the bottom paper to flip into pie tin… carefully peeling back the paper as you press it into the pan. Don’t worry if it breaks apart a little, you can always press it together and it will look great!
9. Crimp edges of crust to make a decorative edge… or top with an additional crust layer after adding your pie filling.
10. Pierce bottom slightly with fork (and slit top layer with knife to vent).
11. Fill with My Chicken Pot Pie Mixture or Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Filling Recipe or your favorite recipe and bake.
12. Follow the pie recipe you are using for bake time and temperature.

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Notes

This crust can be prepared in advance & stored in the fridge or freezer (empty or filled) until you are ready to bake.

TIPS FOR PRE-BAKING or PAR-BAKING:

1. Pre-Bake for approx. 15 minutes at 425 degrees if you need a pre-baked pie crust for your recipe.
2. Or, you may par-bake the crust for 5-7 minutes to firm up the crust prior to adding your filling
3. To prevent the crust from shrinking, add dry beans or pie weights during baking time.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Crust
• Calories: 115

"The BEST Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe" was published by A Little Insanity.

From garden to table, there’s nothing like growing your own fruits and vegetables, harvesting, and then eating them straight from the vine. Diets are more than just choosing foods with low-calorie content. It’s true, nutritional eating is important to maintain healthy weight. But a balanced diet is also about choosing foods that help you to feel good and stay healthy. Building a paleo-perfect vegetable garden is the first step toward living a healthier lifestyle.

Definitions

The term “paleo” diet refers to Paleolithic, stone-age, or caveman. It’s a modern diet of foods that were available during the Paleolithic era. It’s eating natural and organic things like fruits, vegetables, and lean meat- nothing processed. Nuts, roots, organ meats, seeds, fish, eggs, and certain cooking oils are included. Exclusions are salt, dairy products, grains, legumes, sugar, refined fats, and carbohydrates. Paleo diets are trendy today.

Building a Paleo Perfect Garden

“Foodscaping” is a trendy way of landscaping your property. Along with trees, flowers, and shrubbery, you can grow fruits and veggies in your home’s backyard, front yard, or side perimeter. Plant a garden in window boxes or rooftop spaces, in arbors, trellises, framed boxes, or in community areas. For tips on what to grow, research the kinds of herbs, fruits, and veggies that early humans ate. Then, plant what you like best!

Veggies and Fruits

The right vegetables can add color to your paleo garden. Try kale, basil, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, collard greens, turnips, spinach, cucumbers, and assorted herbs. Get fruity with raspberries, apples, pears, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Depending on your climate, you might try citrus fruits such as kiwi, oranges, and lemons.

Location

Sunshine makes your garden grow! Even if you live in a small apartment, you can grow herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and the like in pots and containers. Just make sure to find a sunny location. Plants need six or more hours of full sunlight each day.

Soil

Before placing anything in the ground, test the soil to determine proper pH balance. Depending on the environment, most garden soils should be loose, well-draining, and fertile, with a pH between 6.0 and 8. Rotted organic matter such as leaves, grass clippings, and animal manure help to amend the soil, or you can add products from your local nursery. Before planting outdoors, start seedlings in small containers indoors. Take them outside after the final frost.

Herbs

With so many herbs to tempt your palate, these are easy to grow in your paleo garden:

Mint: With a tantalizing scent, choose one or more of the 600 varieties of mint available, including peppermint, spearmint, orange, banana, pineapple, and chocolate. Plant each stem in separate containers and place them far enough apart so that bees and butterflies don’t cross-pollinate. Mint needs morning sun, afternoon shade, well-draining soil, and consistent watering.

Sage: This hardy perennial re-grows every season, even following overly cold winters. Place seedlings 2 feet apart in full sunlight with soil temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees.

Lavender: An aromatic herb that grows in cool and warm climates, lavender is a perennial with flowers of white, blue, and purple. It does well in moderately fertile soil. Place seedlings in the ground about 1 to 3 feet apart.

Chives: Perennials with a slight taste of onion and stores well in the freezer.

With spring approaching, planning for your paleo garden begins now. Sketch a blueprint and tune up that green thumb … your garden awaits!

Maria Ivanov is a fitness trainer with a passion for foods — the healthier the better. With the help of her children, she grows her own vegetables, herbs, and as many fruit trees as she can on a half-acre plot.

"Building a Paleo Perfect Vegetable Garden" was published by A Little Insanity.

Some of you might be wondering how it’s even possible to cook, especially if you’re newly diagnosed. My best advice is to focus on what you CAN eat and go from there. If you’re cooking for someone else, please remember that you won’t be able to please or accommodate everyone, so choosing a variety of dishes will give you the best chance of finding something everyone can enjoy. Also, don’t be afraid to ask other adults for ideas or have them bring a dish that they can share.

Over the years, Erika has come up with a somewhat unconventional (and continually evolving) menu she uses over the holidays. I encourage you to pick a recipe or two to incorporate into your holiday meal plan this year. Almost all of them are adaptable for Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free & Vegetarian/Vegan.

• Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie – This recipe uses both my Gluten Free Pie Crust & Chicken Pot Pie Recipe. Both Recipes have Vegan Options & Suggestions. These Crusts & Pies freeze well & can be made ahead of time!
• Gluten Free Stuffing – If you’re making a Turkey, consider making my Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe or Gluten Free Bread Recipe to make your own Homemade Gluten Free Stuffing.
• Anti-Pasta & Snack Food Options – Fresh Hummus Recipe, Chopped Veggies, served with Gluten Free Chips & Crackers. Roasted Chickpeas, Marinated Olives, Fruit Salad, Gluten Free Breadsticks. If you don’t have Dairy or Meat restrictions, consider some cubed up Cheese & Natural Cold Cuts (such as Turkey, Ham or Salami). Don’t forget the Fresh and/or Candied Nuts or Seeds.
• Gluten Free, Vegan Rolls – I make these Gluten Free Crunch Rolls & drizzle some Butter Alternative on them right before serving. We also use them to make Sandwiches on Christmas Eve.
• Fresh Juice Bar – It’s the most unconventional menu item, but a Fresh Juice Bar is perfect for those requiring a Liquid Diet, or your die-hard Whole Food, Healthy friends. You’d be surprised how much fun people have creating their own juice… and the kids LOVE it too! =)
• Gluten Free, Vegan Pies – I make several variations of these during the Holidays. These recipes use my Gluten Free & Vegan Pie Crust Recipes: Dairy Free & Soy Free Pumpkin Pie; Low Sugar Apple Pie; Vegan Meringue Pies.
• Gluten Free, Vegan Cookies – Gluten Free Butter Cookies, Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies, Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten Free & Vegan Meringue Cookies (use this recipe to make Vegan Macarons too)
• Gluten Free Muffins – Gluten Free Cranberry Muffins, Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins
• Other Gluten Free Desserts – No Bake Vegan Cheesecake & Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
• Special Beverages – So Delicious Vegan Egg Nog;  Apple Cider; Vegan Mochas (so good you can sneak in the caffeine free, sugar free beverage without anyone knowing the difference)

NOTE: If you are cooking a meal or dish for somebody with life threatening allergies, it is VERY IMPORTANT to avoid ALL cross contamination with your other foods. I can’t stress this enough… I know people that can have an allergic reactions from just smelling peanuts, and others who react from residual traces of dairy. When in doubt ask & take the extra steps to avoid a catastrophe.

I’d love to hear your ideas on how you accommodate special diets around the Holidays… What ingredients do you avoid and what dishes do you make?

If you’re new to this site, please be sure to sign-up for our newsletter (below), so you won’t miss any new Recipes!

Whatever you serve this year, I pray you enjoy every precious moment together… because that’s what we’ll all be remembering!

God Bless!

"Easy Allergy Friendly Holiday Recipes for Special Diets" was published by A Little Insanity.

Everybody loves a fresh, pleasant-smelling home, but it can be a challenge to maintain. With odors from cooking, pets, and kids permeating walls, curtains, and rugs, your home can pick up foul scents. You can buy commercial air fresheners which often come with aerosol and added chemicals or you can let nature do the work with fresh herbs.

Every herb comes with a scent, but over time a few have become favorites. Among them are mint, lavender, lemon balm, rosemary, and lime thyme. Unlike commercial fresheners, natural herbs have aromatic health benefits such as reducing stress and aiding sleep. Plus, you can use many of them to flavor drinks and recipes. Fresh basil is great in your favorite gluten-free pizza sauce recipe.

Here are five ways to use herbs for a scent-sational home.

1. Invite Them in as Indoor Plants

A few of the favorites, such as lavender, can be tricky to grow in the house. Others are easy with the right mixture of sunlight and water. Mint, which comes in varieties ranging from spearmint to catnip, can be potted and placed in indirect sun. You can also grow it in a glass or vase of water with a few daily hours of sunlight. Herbs quickly spread their fresh aroma through your house. When the weather is nice, open some windows to let the breeze help. Rosemary has a piney scent that makes it perfect for the holidays. You can let rosemary plants winter in the house in a sunny window and move them to the garden in spring. Lemon balm, which gives off the scent of freshly polished wood furniture, is another herb that likes lots of sun. In fact, most of your indoor herbs will thrive a sunny windowsill.

2. Prepare a Potpourri

The word “potpourri” has its origins in a French term for a stew with different meats. It literally means “rotten meat.” But its modern meaning is much more pleasant.

An herb potpourri is a mixture of pleasant-smelling herbs. To make potpourri, dry out leaves and buds from your favorite herbs. Mix essential oils, a little orrisroot with a few drops of lavender oil and rose damask oil in a bowl. You can find them through Amazon or at retailers such as Hobby Lobby and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Add your herbs, and seal the mix in a jar for a couple of weeks. Then you can place it about your home in decorative bowls or dishes to freshen your rooms.

3. Create a Cachet

This is similar to a potpourri but involves a little bag rather than a bowl. Just mix your favorite dried herbs and put them in little mesh bags (available online or at hobby stores). Add a few sparing drops of essential oils and tie the open end of the bag. Give it a little rub to get the aroma going.  You can put these in closets, drawers or even under your pillows for a fragrant bouquet. These little bags make nice party favors that your guests will appreciate.

4. Refresh a Rug

Grind your dried herbs into a powder and sprinkle on rugs or carpets. Wait about 10 minutes and vacuum. The result will be a nice fragrance that will pervade your room. Lavender is a favorite for this.

5. Mix and Mash

There are no hard and fast rules on using herbs for aroma. Try adding dried rose petals, a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of crushed cloves to your potpourris or cachets.  Experiment until you find the scent that suits you – it’s your house, after all!

Arnie Dorr is a landscaper and gardener who prides himself on being eco-friendly. He maintains a green lawn without using chemicals. His garden is filled with herbs and native plants that attract pollinators.

"5 Ways to Use Herbs for a SCENT-sational Home—DIY air fresheners" was published by A Little Insanity.

Thanksgiving Turkey

While there is no single right way how to roast a turkey, there are lots of wrong ways. In some cases, what constitutes a “wrong” way might just be a matter of opinion.

Case in point, I recently had a conversation with a friend about Thanksgiving traditions. Having lived in both Canada and the United States, she had an interesting observation about how the two countries look at traditional Thanksgiving dishes.

It was her contention that people in Canada are much more open to mixing things up by including different dishes in their holiday meal and that in the US, people are sometimes vehemently opposed to any departure from tradition (not that there is anything wrong with that).

She illustrated her point by recounting a Thanksgiving potluck wherein a Canadian guest brought a mashed parsnip casserole. The host and local guests were visibly and vocally upset about the inclusion of the dish. One commented how they would likely have loved the dish on any other day, but on Thanksgiving, it HAD to be marshmallow sweet potatoes.

I don’t know whether this generalization is fair or it is simply that pocket communities exist where certain traditions are treated as more (or less) sacred than in others (regardless of what country one is in). Either way, this Thanksgiving turkey recipe strays a bit from tradition.

Before I get into it too much, I’d like to recount another story (which may be a true one, but I happen to believe was made up). As the story goes, there is a family with an unusual Thanksgiving tradition. They would always cut the tops and sides off of their turkey so it is shaped like a rectangular block before putting it into the oven to roast.

One year, they sit down to Thanksgiving dinner and the youngest child asks her mother, “Why do we cut the top and sides off of our turkey before roasting it? My friend says her family always roasts their turkey whole.”

“I don’t know,” replied the mother, “That’s just how my mother always did it.”

A bit surprised she had gone her whole life and never thought to ask her mother about it, she called up her mother and asked.

“I don’t know,” replied the mother, “That’s just how MY mother always did it.”

Great Grandma was still alive, so the two of them, consumed by curiosity, called up the family matriarch with their burning question.

“Why on earth would you cut off the top and the sides of your turkey before roasting it?!? We only did that because it was the only way to get even a small turkey to fit into our tiny oven.”

I suppose the point of the story was to question the value of traditions rather than blindly follow them without concern for why they ever came to exist. In any case, while I’m not proposing carving your turkey into a brick before roasting, that is not actually far off from the truth.

Rather than cooking the turkey whole and having the iconic look of a whole roasted bird on the table carved up fresh once everyone is seated, this recipe is all about keeping things simple and eliminating some of the holiday headaches surrounding trying to roast a turkey whole.

Before I started doing my turkeys this way, there were numerous points of struggle when roasting a bird:

•Will a turkey big enough to feed everyone be small enough to fit in my oven?

•How long should I cook it for? What if it’s partially frozen (I can’t tell if it is or not)?

•How come I always end up with either dry, flaky white meat and/or tough, chewy dark meat?

I no longer get an iconic, picture perfect bird on Thanksgiving, but there no real guess work, carving is fast and super easy, and people rave about how flavorful and juicy the white meat is and how tender and delicious the dark meat is.

By what magic do I accomplish this? If you haven’t guessed, I partially de-bone my turkey before cooking and I put the (bone-in) dark meat in the oven two hours before I add the boneless white meat.

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Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

★ 1 from 1 reviews

• Author: alittleinsanity - Shannon
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 210
• Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: Gluten Free

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Description

I no longer get an iconic, picture perfect Thanksgiving turkey, but there no real guess work, carving is fast and super easy, and people rave about how flavorful and juicy the white meat is and how tender and delicious the dark meat is.

By what magic do I accomplish this? If you haven’t guessed, I partially de-bone my turkey before cooking and I put the (bone-in) dark meat in the oven two hours before I add the boneless white meat.

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Ingredients

• Turkey
• Salt
• 1 Lemon (optional)
• 1 Head of Garlic (optional)
• Dried Herbs (optional)

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Instructions

1. With your favorite sharp knife, cut off the turkey’s hind quarters (leg/thigh combos).
2. Do the same with the wings.
3. Carefully line your knife up with the bony ridge nestled between the turkey breasts and slice along the rib cage until you have a whole, boneless breast.
4. Do the same with the other side.
5. Put the wings and rib cage aside.
6. Slice your lemon and/or peel and slice your garlic.
7. Use your finger to make several pockets under the skin on the breasts and the hind quarters of your turkey and fill them with lemon and garlic slices (optional).
8. Salt both sides of all pieces of turkey.
9. Lay the dark meat (hind quarters) skin side up on a lined baking sheet and put into the oven at 350ºF (optionally sprinkling dried herbs over the skin first).
10. After two hours, add the breasts to the baking sheet and put back in the oven.
11. After another hour and a quarter (or when the internal temperature of the breast is at 145ºF), set the oven to broil until the skin is crispy and golden brown (roughly 10 – 15 minutes).
12. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 20 minutes.
13. Manually remove the bones and sinewy bits from the dark meat and slice up the white meat and serve.

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Notes

• I tend to use frozen turkeys and prefer to do the initial cutting up of the bird before it has completely thawed as it is easier to work with when it is partially frozen.

• I like to save the wings and rib cage to make soup stock (which I will often reduce and use to make a gluten free gravy from and/or a gluten free dressing/stuffing)

• If the skin starts drying out, you can tent some aluminum foil over your turkey (or you can do this preemptively).

• The internal temperature of 145ºF is less than the recommended minimum temperature of 160ºF, but the internal temperature will continue to rise both during broiling and resting. I find the white meat dry and flaky if I let the internal temperature get that high.

"Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe" was published by A Little Insanity.

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Gluten Free and Keto Pancake Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: alittleinsanity - Anna
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 10
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 pancakes
• Category: Breakfast
• Cuisine: Gluten Free

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Description

This Gluten Free and Keto Pancake Recipe really hits the spot. It also goes well with fresh fruit and maple syrup (if Keto isn’t your thing or if you’re not always strict about it).

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Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Almond Flour
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/4 Cup Psyllium Husks
• 2 Tbsp Ground Flax Seeds
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp icing sugar (optional)
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp Melted Coconut Oil (or butter if you can handle it)
• 1 Cup Almond Milk

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Instructions

1. Measure out all dry ingredients (except the optional sugar) into mixing bowl (or preferably a stand mixer) and stir until well combined.
2. Measure out milk, beat the egg, prep melted coconut oil (or butter).
3. Add all the wet ingredients into mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and quickly start mixing with your hand mixer so the coconut oil/butter doesn’t have time to harden from the cold milk and egg.
4. Mix well, scraping bowl with spatula as necessary. The “batter” will be quite thick. (30 seconds, scrape, 15 seconds if using a stand mixer).
5. Cook in pre-heated skillet on medium-low heat until nicely golden on each side.
6. Dust with icing sugar and “serve” (with or without fresh fruit and/or syrup).

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Notes

• You may need to shape them carefully in the pan (if you prefer a traditional pancake thickness and shape…).

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Pancake
• Calories: 117
• Fat: 9
• Carbohydrates: 6
• Protein: 4

"Gluten Free and Keto Pancake Recipe" was published by A Little Insanity.