Simple Chocolate Ricotta Pudding

During the heat of August, you really don’t want to spend time over a hot stove. It’s time for simple, cold chocolate pudding that tastes great and is also good for you!  Ricotta is a soft and creamy cheese used in appetizers, main dishes, and desserts like today’s simple chocolate pudding. The protein in ricotta cheese is mostly whey, a milk protein that contains all of the essential amino acids that humans need to obtain from food. Whey is easily absorbed and may promote muscle growth, help lower blood pressure, and reduce high cholesterol levels.

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Taco Seasoning – Great Small Gift Idea!

This is a simple, fantastic seasoning recipe which will make you give up those packets of seasoning. The flavor is so much richer, and it is such a money saver too. Modify the recipe to fit your taste and spice requirements. Be sure to use fresh spices.  Over time, spices will lose their potency and not flavor your food as intended. As a general rule, whole spices will stay fresh for about 4 years, ground spices for about 3 to 4 years and dried leafy herbs for 1 to 3 years.  The best way to know if the spices on your shelf are still good is by color and smell.

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Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza Bites

Many folks are cutting back on gluten and carbs for their health. For some time, cauliflower has been used to replace carb-heavy foods like potatoes and grains. Remember creamy cauliflower mash with garlic ?  You’ve probably also heard of cauliflower pizza where cauliflower is used for the crust. Today I’m sharing cauliflower pizza bites which  are similar, and a crowd-pleasing fun food to eat.

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Quick & Easy Cheesy Baked Tomatoes Gluten-Free

Whether your garden is exploding with fresh tomatoes in the summer or you bought winter tomatoes at the supermarket, a simple and yummy dish is cheesy baked tomatoes.  My recipe does not use bread crumbs and is gluten-free and grain-free.  Even in the winter, baking tomatoes brings out so much flavor. This is a perfect appetizer or first course and also makes a delicious side with many entrees.

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Colcannon Irish Potatoes, Potatoes & Greens

Most Americans think corned beef and cabbage is the traditional Irish meal, but that’s far from the truth.  During The Great Famine, a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852, the Irish were too poor to buy beef. Their diet was mainly potatoes and occasionally bacon. When disease ruined the potato crops, mass starvation and emigration resulted.  In America, the immigrants had more more money and began to buy beef.They transformed  St Patrick’s Day from a religious day into a celebration of their homeland with parades and a dinner of corned beef and cabbage. Ireland now has parades adopted from Americans but the chief meats in their diet are still lamb and pork.  (For an excellent history lesson, see Smithsonian’s post, Is Corned Beef Really Irish?)

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