I LOVE broccoli salad. It’s a summer food that our family eats on a regular basis. And, it’s super easy and quick to make.

2 bunches broccoli, chopped into bite sizes
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and chopped (you can also use gluten free bacon bits, but make sure it is real bacon!)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar (if you’re diabetic, you can use monkfruit sweetener or Swerve to reduce carbs but the dressing will be a little grainier)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

In a large bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar together; let sit while you’re chopping broccoli and onion...

I love fries of all sorts, but I REALLY like sweet potato fries. These are good by themselves, but my kids couldn’t get enough of the dipping aioli!

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes, cleaned & julienned
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• flaked sea salt
• 1/4 c. parmesan cheese
• parsley for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss potatoes in a bag with  2 Tbs. olive oil and garlic powder.
3. Lay potatoes on a lined baking sheet and sprinkle with flaked sea salt.
4. Bake potatoes for 15 minutes.
5. Remove pan from oven and flip potatoes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
7...

I love a good White Russian cocktail once in a while…my husband makes the best ones ever (but maybe that’s because cocktails always taste better when someone else makes it!). We were almost out of Kahlua when I looked in my cabinet, so I decided that I’d try to make my own since I had all of the ingredients. I thought it turned out so well that I entered it into the Alaska State Fair this year and I came away with a 2nd place ribbon! *Note: You need to prepare this in advance–don’t expect to make this one night and drink it the next as you need to allow time for the flavors to mature and develop.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. ground coffee (I used THIS one since I had it in my pantry...

Sorry this isn’t the best photo of baked oatmeal, but sometimes it’s hard to get a photo in before my dishes are devoured by a hungry husband or kids! When I was 16, I went to Kenya over the summer break and built a library for the local school with a group of teens. On the cliffs overlooking Lake Baringo, I fell in love with baked oatmeal and English tea. I wish I could find the recipe that our team leader’s wife used when we were there, but this is pretty close.

3 c. gluten free oats (I used THESE ones)
1/2 c. brown sugar (you can use coconut sugar if you want)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. applesauce
2 eggs (this recipe works VERY well with 2 Tbs...

We all know that everything tastes better with bacon…and with Super Bowl Sunday coming up soon, who doesn’t love an easy, yummy appetizer? These are definitely “crowd pleasers” and are usually one of the first appetizers to be completely eaten.

**NOTE: A WATER CHESTNUT IS NOT A TREE NUT*** (we looked it up at the last party I took these to because one child had tree nut allergies)

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

1 lb. bacon, cut width-wise into thirds
2 cans whole water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c. gluten free BBQ sauce
toothpicks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2...