Keto tuna melt biscuits

I made some of these little biscuits to have around for lunches for work or afternoon hunger pains.  A person on one of my Keto blogs had made them with salmon, but they are pretty versatile so I changed them up to canned tuna with cheddar cheese and a few different seasonings and they came out great.  Here is what I did.

KETO TUNA MELT BISCUITS: (6)

Heat oven to 325 degrees F

Drain one can tuna (I used the water one because that's what I had, Starkist) and tuna to a medium sized bowl.

Add about 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I had mild)

1/4 cup avocado mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons fine almond flour

1 tsp dried dill

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 tsp baking powder

small amount of lemon zest (I used about half a lemon)

small shake of sea salt

Mix thoroughly with a fork.  Fill greased muffin tray about halfway full, bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.  I think they taste better when cooled/room temp because all the flavors come through more.

A 2019 Project. Hats for the Homeless.

A friend from work and I decided we wanted to do something with some of the yarn we have and have fallen "out of love" with.  We decided to use some of our lunch breaks and crochet hats for the homeless and donate them in the Fall to an organization who could distribute them and help keep people warm in our cold Minnesota winters.  Here is how we decided to make them.

I really didn't have a pattern. I just chained 43 with worsted weight 4 ply yarn and an I hook and then just did half double crochets in the back loop only, chaining 2 at each row turn, until it measured 19 inches..tied off leaving a long tail. slipped stitched it into a tube and then used that tail to close up the top, attached a pom pom there and turned up the edge..let me know if you have any questions!  

Here are pictures of my first three hats..hoping this will increase to lots more pictures by this Fall!  She has also made three!  She actually had an afghan that she started some years back and was not liking it, so took it all apart and is using the yarn for her first hats.  They are cute and in fact her boss begged her for one and she gave it to her since her hat was getting frayed and she wanted another one.

Another hat (5/1/19), different pattern.  

Men's brown beanie 5/5/19

Pineapple Bread

When Joe and I went to Hawaii last week we were given a sample of Pineapple Bread at the Delta Sky Club while we waited for our return flight home.  I had never even heard of it before and we both liked it a lot, so I searched online for a recipe and made it this afternoon.  It's supposed to used a lot with ham dinners down south and I can see that it would be really good with ham.  I will make some up next time I cook one.  Here is the recipe..you can also add some coconut to it and/or crushed pecans if desired.  I did add some coconut because I had some and I like it, but the sample we had was just the pineapple and it was great.

PINEAPPLE BREAD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (makes 1 loaf, I doubled it because I read it was so good and the can of crushed pineapple I had was enough for two loaves)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 -8 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter, gradually add sugar, beating well (I used my electric mixer).  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixure alternately with pineapple, mixing well.  stir in vanilla.

spoon batter into a greased and floured 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan.  Baked at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Cool loaf in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Benihana Shrimp Sauce, my version

We are having a fondue at Kim's for New Year's Day and I make the sauce for them.  I would call this a shrimp sauce, but it goes on everything in our family!..the rice, the tempura vegetables, and all the meats.  I don't think we could have a fondue without it..it just wouldn't be worth it..LOL.  Anyway, I decided to post the recipe so I wouldn't have to keep digging for it down the line and others could also try it.  Here goes.

Gaile's Version of Benihana Sauce:

in a container with a lid, whisk together:

2 cups real mayonnaise
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
dash or two of salt
1 Tablespoon of garlic JUICE.  (I always have the minced garlic in a jar in my fridge and use the juice from that)
3-4 teaspoons ketchup
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon pepper
and one 12 oz bottle of Heinz chili sauce.
(optional: you can add a little horseradish if you want more zing-I don't though generally)

put in fridge for several hours or overnight..serve.

Grinch scarf

I was making this with some bits and pieces from my yarn stash for a gift exchange at work-we had to bring a $10 gift and drew numbers to choose a gift-but I didn't get it finished in time.  It was a new stitch and I was struggling with it and had to tear out a million times.  Anyway, I finally got it finished and my daughter Kim wanted it to wear for the holidays.  I thought it was cute actually.  If you want the pattern let me know and I will post it, although there are a lot of them out there on Ravelry etc that are similar and free.  It was a fun project and once I got the hang of the stitch it went fast..one project I actually finished for the holidays!

I ended up making a second one for my "daughter" Annette per her request!-(top one)

A last minute invention for a birthday at work. Raspberry, chocolate ganache cake dessert

I stepped in to make the dessert for a coworkers birthday this month because the original person is due to have a baby any minute and had enough on her plate with that and Christmas this year.  As usual I procrastinated and all of a sudden it was 6:30 last night and I had nothing made.  I had high expectations and fantasies about a 6 layer beautiful white chocolate raspberry cake that I now figured out was just not going to happen.  I ended up creating this lazy girl version that actually went over very very well considering!  Luckily I had the ingredients and luckily they liked it.  Here is what I did.

Raspberry, white poke cake with chocolate ganache and raspberry/cool whip topping:

Bake a white cake according to the package instructions.  Meanwhile dissolve one 4 oz package of raspberry jello in 1-1/2 cups boiling water.  Stir until dissolved and let sit at room temperature.  When you remove the baked cake, poke holes with the end of a wooden spoon into the cake all over, not going completely to the bottom of the cake.  Slowly spoon the jello mixture into the holes and let the cake completely cool.

once cool make the ganache.
Place 1-1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips into a heat safe medium bowl.  Pour 1 cup hot/boiling heavy whipping cream over the chips and stir until they start to melt.  Then add 2 Tablespoons room temperature butter and continue stirring until its all melted and smooth.  Pour over cake.

Let cool in the fridge.  Then take a normal sized bowl of unthawed Cool Whip and add 1 cup of unthawed frozen raspberries that have been drained, and mix carefully together.  Apply like frosting to the cooled ganache.  Refrigerate.

Baby blanket and hat for a coworker's baby shower

We haven't had an expectant mom in our department at work for decades.  People tend to stay in our department until retirement, which has started to happen more frequently-I expect I will be next-but we have had some departures and replacements with new fresh faces in the last few years.  One of them is expecting a baby boy in mid December, so we are having a shower for her the Monday after Thanksgiving.  Everyone has been acting like "work moms and grandmoms, sister") so we are all excited about the pregnancy and future baby.  I decided to crochet a pattern by Kerry Jane Designs..I love her work..it's so fresh and yet modern and this  mom likes the same.  The nursery is charcoal, gray and soft green with white accents, so I used gray and white.  The little hat is also one of her designs and comes in a variety of sizes so if the mom wants one like it I have enough yarn leftover that I could do that with a big fluffy pom-pom.  I will see after she opens it.  The pattern is easy and fast because you use bulky yarn.  I am thinking it's perfect for covering the baby in the car seat or across his back/bum when it's a cold night here in Minnesota to keep him cozy.  Hoping she is liking it as much as I do.