HELP! I'm killing my husband!

This is mainly for Denise, only because she is a vegetarian, but I would LOVE anyone's input! My husband has a bad case of gout in his foot (I know, I thought that was an old fashion disease, too) and I've been doing alot of research and found that it is caused mainly by eating too much red meat and fatty foods (hummmm...). Any kind of fresh fruit, white bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, dairy, and broccoli and cabbage are good for his symptoms. Anyway, I take partial responsibility for his pain because I do all the cooking around here so if anyone has any gout-friendly recipes, I would love to have some ideas! Thanks!

Spiced Cranberry-Orange Mold

I just made this tonight, as in, I just put it in the mold so I have no idea how that part of it will turn out. But the mix tastes so yummy and I know even if the mold doesn't work a pan will always do the trick! Right??? (P.S. My mold is just a bundt pan, that's right, I'm ghetto!)

1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 (3 ounces each) cranberry flavor gelatin
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 orange peeled, sectioned, and diced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I say nuts are always optional, I prefer them not in my sweets!)


1. Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Add cranberry sauce, cold water, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves; mix well. Refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves a definite impression).
2. Stir in oranges and walnuts. Spoon into 6 cup mold sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Unmold. Garnish as desired.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition Bonus: This festive holiday dish is low in sodium and a good source of vitamin C from the orange.

Nutrition: (per serving)
Calories 150
Total Fat 3 g
Sat. Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 70 mg
Carbohydrate 30 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 29 g
Protein 2 g
Vitamin A 0% DV
Vitamin C 10% DV
Calcium 0% DV
Iron 0% DV

Chicken over Chips

I can't take credit for this recipe--it's from Kristen Ann. And it is so delicious! It's like the cafe rio chicken recipe on an earlier post. Brent said we have to have it again, and I may make it once a week. And, when I make it again, I may omit the chicken broth or just add 1/2 a cup--the cafe rio recipe doesn't call for it and I don't think it would make a huge difference. You just have to strain the chicken as you pull it out. Also, I may add an extra can of beans. They were so good!

5-6 chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
salt to taste
1 can black label Ranch-style beans
A bag of Fritos!
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream

Place all ingredients, except beans, into crock-pot and set on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Shred chicken with fork. Just before serving, add beans and stir, allow to cook for another 30 minutes. Serve over corn chips. Top with cheese and sour cream.

Homemade Marshmallows

Kelli and I made these for my Christmas treat plates last night. They are yummy. My kids ate them up (well, the ones that I let them eat or they'd eat the whole plate!). You can do lots of things with this- use peppermint extract to make them pepperminty, add food coloring to make them festive (or food coloringy), and Kelli and I added mini chocolate chips to one batch and toasted coconut to the other. To add the chips or coconut (or anything else you can think of), you follow the directions like normal, sift powdered sugar to the bottom of your pan, then add your chips or coconut (or sprinkles or mini M&Ms, etc). Then when your marshmallow is in the pan, add the special ingredient to the top too. Anyway, here you go!

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle powdered sugar with a sifter in an 8 by 12-inch nonmetal pan (I used an 8x11, and a 9x13 pan would work fine too). Pour in the marshmallow batter (carefully so you don't lift the powdered sugar off the bottom) and smooth the top of the mixture with damp hands (this works WONDERS!). Allow to dry uncovered at room temperature overnight.

Kelli and I found that the marshmallow still sticks to the sides, so you'll have to use a knife to separate those in the morning. Also, I read somewhere to use a pizza wheel dipped in powdered sugar to cut the marshmallows.

**To toast coconut (for a whole batch), put about 7 oz of sweetened shredded coconut in a cool, dry large pan. Toast over low heat for about 15-20 minutes until it's golden, stirring often so it doesn't burn.

Santa Claus cookies

This recipe came from my friend Amanda 3 years ago at a cookie exchange and has been a family tradition ever since! We make this every year for Santa on Christmas Eve. The kids have a blast decorating the cookies and the adults have a blast eating them! It is the lemon peel that gives this cookie such a great twist to normal sugar cookies. Forgive my picture. This is a picture of the first batch I ever did, but hopefully, you get the picture of how to decorate them.

1 C. sugar
½ C. shortening
2 T. milk
1 t. grated lemon peel (fresh)
1 egg
2 C. flour
1 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Beat sugar, shortening, milk, lemon peel and egg. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Roll cookies into 1 ¼ inch balls. Flatted to 2 ½ inches with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are a very light brown. Do not overcook. Let cool. Pampered Chef's stoneware work REALLY good with these cookies.

Frost the cookies with any white frosting.
Decorate to look like Santa with:

Red sugar crystals on the top for a hat
Shredded coconut for Santa’s beard
Mini marshmallow for tassel of cap
Mini chocolate chips for eyes
Red cinnamon candy for nose

I have a cookie exchange in a week and need a great recipe? Anyone have a cookie/bar/candy recipe that is to die for? Please help!

Slow Roasted Ham

I had the best ham of my life last night (made by Ken & Heidi Hawkes). You buy either a Butt piece or something else, if I remember I'll let you know. Those are the best. And then you put it in a roasting pan--I'm sure the roasting bags will work too. Just make sure it's covered. You bake at 300 for 6-8 hours. During the last hour you glaze it with this recipe:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
2-3 Tbsp orange juice.

I'm making it for a little Christmas dinner/party Kristi and I are throwing. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Love you guys!

Parmesan Chicken and Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

So I've made parmesan chicken forever, but this is by far the best recipe. It's a recipe from Ina Garten (I love her!) and I've been using her parmesan chicken recipe for awhile, but the other day I was looking in her cookbook and saw this recipe. Basically, you make the parmesan chicken and then toss salad greens with a homemade lemon vinaigrette, and - ready for this?! - you pile some salad greens on top of the chicken. The cold, crisp salad with lemon is unbelievable with the hot parmesan chicken. I made this for the missionaries and they couldn't get enough of it, they all had seconds. It's just a fancy twist, and it's my favoite dish right now...

6 chicken cutlets (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-inch thick)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Unsalted butter

Extra virgin olive oil

Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry (Ina uses arugula, I used a mix of baby spring mix and baby spinach...arugula isn't for everyone)

Lemon Vinaigrette recipe (see below)

Parmesan cheese

On one plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Dip both sides of the chicken into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with Parmesan (I use a vegetable peeler and shave some cheese onto each salad.)

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

1/2 cup good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.